Moments In Between
by feministkendra
Summary: A collection of one shots taking place before, during, or after the series. Will be updated as regularly as possible!
1. Lawyer Seth

Kendra always said Seth would be a good lawyer. Years of convincing his parents to water his punishments down, much to her annoyance, proved as much. But nothing activated Seth's lawyer mode as much as being told 'no'.

And that is exactly what her Grandpa Sorenson was trying to tell him. Seth had come down this morning with a great big plan on how Warren should show him around the preserve, including the dangerous parts, so he can get the lay of the land "in case of emergency". Warren had been all for it, but her grandfather...

"Seth, I said _no_!" He exclaimed. His face was becoming red in frustration. Seth wasn't having it, and as usual, didn't listen.

"But Grandpa! Warren would be with me, so it wouldn't be dangerous at all!" Kendra resisted the urge to laugh. That was a weak argument, as much as Kendra loved her cousin, they all knew that Warren could be just as reckless as Seth.

"That doesn't make me feel any better!" Stan retorted, apparently thinking the same thing as Kendra.

"Hey!" Warren whined from his seat on the counter. Ignoring him, Grandpa continued.

"Besides, if I allow this, you are just going to use this as an excuse to go into the woods more often!" Seth feigned offence.

"I would never! But, if I was going to, I would have a good point! If I knew my way around, the woods wouldn't be as dangerous! I could avoid all contact from anything that could cause me or the preserve harm!"

Kendra couldn't help but be impressed. Now, if Grandpa continued to say no and Seth went out to the preserve and got hurt, Seth could use this argument to turn the tables on him. She could hear it now; ("But Grandpa! My arm wouldn't be broken if you had just let Warren show me around that one time! How was I supposed to now there was a river troll near that area!")

"He has a good point." Warren stated. Grandpa took a deep breath.

"No one asked you Warren." He snapped, Warren only smirked in response. Just like Kendra he could tell the old man's resolve was breaking.

" _Please_ Grandpa? I really need to start learning about the preserve now if I ever want to be half the caretaker you are!" Seth pleaded. Kendra raised her eyebrows and shared a look with Warren. Seth played a tough card there.

"Oh sweet lord...fine." Grandpa Sorenson caved. Seth immediately jumped from his seat and high fived Warren. "You're going to be the death of me someday kid." He muttered.

"You won't regret this, gramps! I promise!" Seth shouted as he and Warren all but ran out the door.

"Something tells me I already am." Kendra finally let out a small laugh, having been silent this whole exchange. "What say you? Think I made a mistake?" He asked her.

"Hard to say, all I know is Seth would truly make a good lawyer." Placing her now empty mug on the table she leaned forward. "And you were just his latest case, Tanu fell victim last week, let Seth drink a enlargement potion just so he could wrestle with Hugo." She stood up and patted his shoulder before walking out of the kitchen.

Stan Sorenson sat there for a second before it hit him.

"Wait, is that how three trees on the edge of the yard got uprooted?!" He shouted after her.

The only response he got was her laugh floating from upstairs. A good lawyer he would make, indeed.


	2. What If's

"Do you ever think about what would've happened if Kendra never saved me?" The question came late one night as the lay in bed, the moon illuminating their intertwined bodies.

Warren pulled his head away from Vanessa's mess of curls on her head to look at her. Of course, she was looking anywhere but him, a habit she had whenever things go even remotely emotional. His eyes searched her face for a moment before answering.

"I don't particularly like to, but yes, I have." He has thought about it for more times than he would like to admit. What if Kendra had never had mercy on Vanessa all those years ago in the Inverted Tower? Would he even miss Vanessa? Without her shot at redemption would he have ever uncovered all of his old feelings for her? When she had betrayed them - _him_ \- he had cut her off. His previously warm feelings had turned cold and cast an icy seal around his heart when it came to Vanessa. He had been sure it would never be hers again.

Hell, even after she started working for their trust again he was sure her feelings for him had been nothing but fake. But then the small showdown between her and Bracken had happened and he learned that she did have feelings for him. But then she fought beside him at Shoreless Isle, and he couldn't help but notice the way they slipped right into the old way of fighting side by side. Back then he would never had admitted it but fighting against her had always felt so wrong, even when proven necessary.

Slowly they had worked through their problems, more than once resulting in tears and yelling from both of them, but in the end it was worth every bit of hurt to get where they were now, but that brought Warren back to the original question. What if? The truth was, if Vanessa had died that night Warren would have never forgiven her for her betrayal. She would have died a traitor to him. He couldn't even say if he would have mourned her death. Cruel as it seemed, Warren had a tendency to loose all love for people who did him wrong, or so he had thought. Deep down he knew that beneath the anger and the hurt, he still loved Vanessa. He had hated himself for it, thinking it meant he was weak, to love someone who did him so wrong.

"You would have never forgiven me." Vanessa's voice pulled him from his thoughts, saying exactly what he had been thinking a moment earlier.

"No, I wouldn't have." He admitted, there was no use lying. Vanessa drew random patterns on his chest, choosing her next words carefully.

"Do you think...you would have fell in love with someone else?" She knew it was selfish to expect him to say no. She had lost the right to his heart when she betrayed him, and she spent months chipping through walls to earn it back. But without those months…

"Yes." Warren spoke the word quietly, as if to soften the blow. "But, I would never be as happy as I was - _am_ \- with you."

Finally Vanessa's eyes met Warren's. It was true, no one could ever replace Vanessa, even in those early days, he had known that she would forever change his love life. Never again would just any girl do. Not after Vanessa. She had fire, a spark of something Warren could never name and he found himself always looking for that in another but never finding it. She was it for him, sure he could love again, but it would never have the same intensity and passion that he had with Vanessa.

"Well, then I guess it's good Kendra has a heart of gold. I'll never understand how she found it in herself to save me after I put her family in danger." Vanessa shook her head. Kendra had always been a mystery to her, Vanessa was glad she had the chance to mend their friendship. She had looked at Kendra like a little sister and now their friendship was stronger than ever.

"She's too good for this world, Van." Warren started.

"I swear to the heavens above Warren, if you start going on about how she is a 'cinnamon roll' again i'm blocking you from the wi-fi." Vanessa grumbled.

"I wasn't going to actually, thank you very much for the interruption." He snipped back, "I was being serious, we owe a lot to her now that I think about it...maybe we should do something nice for her tomorrow."

He started thinking of nice things to do for Kendra while not raising her suspicion, that girl had a scary ability to always tell when there's something deeper going on. Warren supposed it was part of being Seth Sorenson's older sister.

"Oh! What about taking her for ice cream? That's always fun, what do you say Ness?" No response. "Ness?" He lifted his head and looked back down at Vanessa, who was sound asleep. Rolling his eyes he dropped his head back to his pillow, typical. Always falling asleep in the middle of conversations, typical narcoblix.

As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about all the good Vanessa brought to him; the happiness, the laughter, the fire. He thought of how much more was to come, he thought of the ring nestled in a drawer back at his old cabin. While he didn't know everything the future held for him, good or bad, he knew one thing. Kendra was definitely getting a hug tomorrow morning.


	3. In Mourning

**Warning: this chapter is quite sad. Tw for death mention**

 **Apologies in advance**

* * *

It hit her out of the blue. Kendra and Warren were on their way up the driveway, coming back from picking up some take-out as no one had felt like cooking that day when Kendra noticed a small piece of paper under a visor clip. But that isn't what grabbed her attention, what was noticeable about the paper was it had her picture on it. She reached up and pulled it out, revealing the whole picture with her name and a two dates under it. Feeling like she had been slapped int the face she realized it was one of those cards they gave out at funerals...it was from her funeral. Flipping it over she read the poem on the back, tears threatened to emerge but she willed them down.

"Whatcha got there?" Warren's voice pulled her from her mind. Blinking, she flipped the paper back over, staring at the picture of her.

"Uh...my memoriam card?" She answered. Warren glanced over at her.

"Oh, I've been meaning to throw that away, now that we know you're alive and all, but for some reason...I can't bring myself to." He sounded apologetic. Well she was probably scaring him by crying over it so she can't blame him.

"It's fine. I'm glad you didn't, although it's weird to look at. I mean how many people have held a copy of their own memoriam card?" The joke was weak but she didn't know what else to say. She didn't even know how to explain how she was feeling, she didn't even know if there were words to describe it.

Warren parked the car and sighed. Looking over at her he struggled to find words also. It was a touchy subject, her presumed death. They all could remember the pain of losing her all too well.

"So, you went huh?" She finally spoke up. Warren slowly nodded his head.

"Of course I went. I didn't go up and shake your parents hand's, that would be sort of weird, but I went."

"Oh. Was it...nice?" She finished the question lamely. Nice? Of course a funeral wasn't nice. It was a funeral. Warren seemed to know what she meant because he chuckled.

"While I don't know I would use the word nice to describe it, the service was beautiful. And long, almost half the town showed up." Kendra wasn't surprised.

"That's what happens when you die young." She voiced her thoughts out loud, earning a surprised look from Warren.

"Well, aren't we morbid today. Common, enough dwelling over the past. You aren't actually dead and we are all very happy about it. But we are also hungry, so let's go eat." With that he hopped out of the car. Kendra knew he didn't mean to be distant, like she said (or thought) the subject was touchy. So, she followed Warren's lead and brought the food in, but the matter of her own funeral remained heavy on her mind throughout the meal. She said little while everyone chatted around her, ate even less. Warren took notice and gave her a look that screamed; 'You better start eating or so help me'. She knew he meant well, so she forced a few more bites of the Chinese food they had bought down her throat, but when his attention was diverted she dumped her plate and walked upstairs, ignoring her brother's protest on her wasting food.

She had gained her own bedroom after insisting that she was too old to be sharing a room with her brother. Soon her room became a sanctuary for her when the crazy lifestyle that was Fablehaven got too much. Once inside she closed the door and crossed over to her desk. Pushing aside the papers and books on Silvian and other fairy languages she was studying to get better at distinguishing them from English, she opened her laptop. Upon getting the electronic she had hesitated to see what she could do on it. Social media was sort of a goner since it would raise quite the alarm if she started posting from the dead. She had refrained from looking up anything that had to do with her past life, but now her fingers hesitated over the enter key, stareing where she had typed her own name into the search engine.

Summoning up her courage she clicked it. As the results came up she saw some things that were not her but people that shared the same name. But one stood out, seeming to glare at her, tempting her to click it.

'Kendra Sorenson - Obituary, Rochester Funeral Home'.

She stared at the link, resisting the urge to slam her laptop shut and never open it again. Instead, she clicked it. The obituary popped up and she slowly read it. She read how she was found dead in her home, she read on what seemed to be cliff notes on the cliff notes of her life, the obituary made her seem like another cookie cutter kid gone too soon. They went on about how she played on her high school soccer team, how she was a straight A student, how she was on the high honor roll, all the stuff that didn't matter.

There was nothing on how she used to go on long drives with her mother on bad days, there was nothing on how her and her brother used to fill the whole driveway with sidewalk chalk drawings, there was nothing on how she made her friends laugh with small carefully placed jokes in conversations, nothing on what really made her... _her_. Was this how people going to remember her? She stared at the obituary, willing it to change, to tell her actual story, she didn't want her friends to remember her as a straight A student, or a soccer player but that was the only legacy she left behind. That's all she would ever be known for.

"What are you doing?" A voice appeared beside her. She jumped what felt like a foot in the air, she hadn't even noticed her door opening. Standing there was Warren, of course. "I did knock." He stated.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." She apologized, reaching for her laptop to hide what she had been looking at, but Warren picked it up first. His eyes quickly scanned the screen and she adverted her eyes, she was caught. She heard him sigh and close the laptop.

"Why...would you look that up?" He asked, truth be told, she didn't know why. She just...needed to. She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Kens, you can't change what happened. Reading your obituary is just going to make things worse...I don't know what even compelled you to look it up." He sounded tired, probably thinking back on painful memories.

"I don't know, I just...wanted to see." She mumbled.

"Wanted to see...see what? A tiny paragraph someone who didn't know you wrote to inform people of your death? How is that a smart move, come on Kens." She felt tears well up in her eyes but she willed them away.

"I just...I want to know how they are going to remember me. I'm not Kendra Sorenson, the Fairy Queen's handmaiden to them, they never knew this side of me. All I am to them is some, straight edge cookie cutter teenager that never got to do anything with her life. How do I know they even remember me at all at this point?" She stood up and collapsed on her bed, hugging a pillow close, "You're right, it was stupid." At this point the tears were streaming down her face. She let them fall, what's the point in hiding how upset she was?

"They remember you." She finally lifted her eyes to Warren. He was looking at her with a sad expression on his face.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I was there at the funeral, remember? I saw first hand on how upset they were. It had nothing to do with you dying young, Kendra. You took care of these people's children at the daycare, you were their student, their friend, their classmate, their teammate." He sat down on the end of her bed. "There's no question about them remembering you. Even if that Kendra Sorenson didn't do something huge like...oh I don't know... _defeat_ a _Demon King_ , you still had a positive impact, even if it pales in comparison to your other accomplishments." He poked her foot, smiling at her.

"I miss them." She said softly. "I know I have you all, and I'm grateful for each and every one of you but...I miss them. I think I could handle not seeing them, but I can't even let them know I'm alive...I can't talk to them...I can't reassure them that everything is okay."

He took her hand, not knowing how to truly comfort his younger cousin. While her parents and Seth had been able to go back to Rochester and gather up their things, and announce that they are moving to live with the Sorenson's, Kendra had to stay at Fablehaven. Her family could visit whenever they wanted, and Seth was still in contact with a few of his old friends from middle school. Warren knew it killed Kendra inside to not be able to reach out to her old friends, but she tried not to show it. They always avoided this subject, it wasn't happy to think about. In fact the only person Kendra ever talked to about it was Bracken, since he didn't go through it he was more than willing to let her rant on and on for hours, but she still felt like a brick was weighing on her shoulders.

Warren was at a loss for words, it wasn't exactly a normal situation. He knew while this was a painful memory to them, Kendra was still dealing with the repercussions of her death to this day. Warren realized she hadn't had the time to really dwell on this fact, with the world ending and all. Even for a while after it was put on the back burner as she had her parents back. Now, there was no immediate danger so the outcome of the Society's work had sunk in fully, it wasn't just her parents that thought she was dead but pretty much the rest of the world. Dealing with this probably wasn't too easy, especially with all of her loved ones avoiding the subject, and now she just needed to grieve. So instead of giving a speech, he let her be sad for a moment. He sat there, held her hand and just let her miss her friends.

He let her mourn the loss of her old life.


	4. Royal Reunion

**A/N: I know this sort of sucks, it's my first time really writing for Bracken so forgive me.**

* * *

What do you say to your four sisters after you have been missing for centuries?

That was the problem Bracken was facing at the moment. The Fairy Queen had sent them away from the battle on Shoreless Isle, not willing to let another one of her children fight in it. She was already gritting her teeth about Bracken being so directly involved. Now, a few days after the battle, Bracken was facing a door. A door that would open and reveal to his sisters he had returned.

Mother was insistent about not telling them he was out of prison until after the battle. That way if he died, they wouldn't get their hopes up. Bracken ran a hand through his hair, gathering all the courage he required, he pushed the grand door open.

There he saw his sisters, backs still turned conversing with his mother. He quietly stepped inside, toeing closer in order to hear what they were discussing.

"You mean Father is alive, but not being responsive? How is that better mother? If he is still under that terrible curse, he could be suffering!" His sister Aurelie exclaimed from her stance beside Arabelle, her twin. He had the same worries so he wondered how his mother would answer.

"That is true, but I hold onto hope, one day you father will join us once again in mind. For now we shall be thankful this disaster has brought him back to us." His mother caught his eye. "Now, you should know your father isn't the only lost family member found this past week."

Following her eyes his sisters turned to find their brother, standing there, as if he hadn't been gone for centuries.

"Bracken!" His youngest sister Marigold exclaimed, shooting out of her seat to wrap her arms around her big brother in a hug. Bracken swept her off her feet, feeling tears stinging his eyes. He had forgotten how he had missed his family.

They were soon joined by Arabelle and Aurelie. But his last sister fell behind.

"Evangeline." The only one of his sisters that was older than him. She stared at him, face emotionless. He stepped forward towards her, unsure what to say or what was going on in her mind.

Evangeline has always been the smartest child. Always holed up in the royal library. She had watched over Bracken when he was young, until he was old enough to take care of himself. He remembered days she spent reading to him under a great oak tree in the courtyard. After their father had died and their mother was left to rule by herself, Evangeline had taken over the role of their mother. She and Bracken had many fights over this, in fact the last interaction he had with her was a bad one.

* * *

" _Bracken, no you will not leave this realm, it's too dangerous!" Bracken clenched his jaw, he couldn't believe his sister was trying to treat him like a child._

" _That shrine has been sealed off and no one is trying to find out why! There is something going on at that preserve and I fully intend to find out what it is, Evangeline." He snapped at her._

" _Mother forbid that any of us leave, brother! You cannot disobey direct orders from the Queen!"_

" _Yeah? Watch me." He pushed past her, making his way to the pond where he could open a portal out of this realm._

" _Bracken, come back here this instant!" Evangeline demanded, a steely tone entering her voice._

" _Good lord, you are not father! You never will be so stop trying to be like him! I gave up my third horn to keep those demons, father's murderer, in that prison and I will be damned to an entirety in the land of the unforgiving if I let someone open it!" He shouted, surprising even himself with his anger._

" _Bracken. Mother can not lose you too. It will surely break this family, please, brother, stay. We can work out a solution without you risking your life. We need you here." She pleaded with him, taking him hand in her own. Unfortunately, Bracken was a stubborn person, and he had already had his mind set on going._

" _And I need get away from you. You smother, you scold, you set rules that aren't yours to set. Father may have died but that does not mean you get to replace him! You haven't shed a tear for our father, no sorrow emits from you at all! How do you live with yourself? If father could see you now he would be disgusted at your lack of respect for his memory, just as I am. I hope you are content with everything you accomplish with a shelter around your heart."_

 _He yanked his hand free, and turned towards the portal. Without so much as a word, he left the fairy realm, ignoring the yell of his name._

* * *

The two eldest of the Fairy Queen stared at each other. Both wondering who would speak first.

"Evangeline," Bracken said again. "You have my most sincere apology, I assure you. I spent centuries in a prison hating myself for my harsh words against you...you never deserved any of them. I could never apologize to you enough."

Evangeline looked down, taking in his words. Finally she looked up at her brother.

"Bracken, I have not felt a drop of anger towards you for quite some time now. You were suffering through a loss of identity after sacrificing your third horn along with the loss of our father. I... have missed so terribly brother." She stepped forward and embraced him tightly.

After a moment she finally let him go.

"Besides, I think this long hair is punishment enough!" She gestured to his head. He feigned offence in good nature.

"Those are dueling words, my dear sister."

"Please, we both know I would beat you in a second, you're out of practice." She retorted. Before the conversation could go on, the Fairy Queen stepped up to Bracken, interrupting his comeback.

"Bracken, why don't you go change up. We salvaged some of your old clothes from the past realm. And dear, I don't mean to injure but you do look so much more handsome with your hair just a tad shorter."

He raised his eyebrows at her while his sisters tried (and failed) to hide their laughter.

"Don't look at me like that, I can tell how the length is annoying you. Now off with you, and don't come back until you look like a prince again." The Fairy Queen nodded her head to the door, leaving no further argument.

Bracken bowed his head respectfully and started towards the door before hearing his mother speak up once more.

"Oh, and son?" He turned towards her, "Welcome home."

He grinned looking at his mother and his four sisters. He had waited a very long time to hear those words, finally hearing them lifted his heart towards the heavens.

He was home.


	5. Rainy Days

**A/N: This starts off a little sad but it gets better by the end. I love writing these nerds too much so enjoy 1,325 words of Brackendra!**

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Rainy days always brought conflicting emotions to Kendra. She never felt like doing much on these days, almost always too deep in her mind to get anything done. Usually she would keep to herself for as long as the rain fell but today, Bracken was here, he had been here for a few days, taking a break from building the fairy realm. He would most definitely take notice if she shut herself up in her room alone, so she brought him with her. So here she was settled in his arms on her bed, listening to rain patter against the window of her room.

"The rain always reminds me of Lena, which I suppose is good, but it also reminds me of other times, when things weren't so good." She mumbled into his chest, she had decided if she was going to tell anyone about how rainy days made her feel, Bracken was the one to tell. Kendra felt his fingers playing with her hair, and it was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Care to elaborate?" He was always curious to know what was happening inside her mind. Of course all he had to do was take her hand to find out, but ever the gentleman, he never liked to. He knew it was invading, besides, he likes it when Kendra trusts him enough to tell him something new without being prodded into it.

"It's just, Lena had a thing about rain. How if you looked up to the sky it felt like you were flying. So in that way, rain reminds me of a good memory. It reminds me of Lena." She traced random patterns on his chest, over his heart. "But with those good memories, there are also bad. On a preserve called Lost Mesa, I had to lead Warren and a few others up the Mesa by what the called the "Flooded Staircase". It was terrifying, the Mesa was huge and the catch was the stairs only appeared when it was raining, and it was raining hard that night."

Bracken had heard of this preserve, in fact he was even helping re-establish it. He had also heard of the legend of the Flooded Staircase but he didn't interrupt. Kendra took a deep breath before continuing on.

"There's a point where the stairs become as steep as a ladder. At that point I was sure I was going to fall off, the waterfall was coming down fast and right down on us, the rain made it hard to see, and I was so tired from the climb already. We got to the top of course without issue, but once on top of the Mesa we saw these humanoid figures dancing around. We interrupted their celebration of the rain apparently and they attacked. One of the people with us, Tammy, got thrown off the Mesa...she didn't even have time to scream."

She stopped for a second, remembering the horrible image of Tammy flying off the Mesa. Bracken hugged her tighter, waiting for her to continue yet again.

"So yeah, there's one traumatizing experience with rain. The next one isn't quite fair, considering I'm the one who called the rain in the first place." She took one more deep breath, this memory was particularly painful but she couldn't stop now. "It was after Gavin revealed himself as Navarog."

Not too long ago she had told Bracken the story of Gavin, it was hard, going back through such devastating memories. She had cried a lot, and Bracken was there to dry her tears as always. Afterwards, she had felt much better, she had been secretly dreading the inevitable moment when the subject came up. She had feared he would judge her for falling for a demon prince, given that he was a fairy prince, but he had held no judgement. In the end, it made them stronger and brought them closer together.

"I called the storm, but even after I stopped shaking the stick, it had raged on. The lightning gave him such an _evil_ look, the thunder was deafening. The rain itself was freezing but it didn't even seem to bother him. I remember watching the knapsack go up in flames and just thinking, how could there be a fire when it was raining so hard? Of course now I realize that it was a gasoline fire, so instead of putting it out it...it just made it worse."

Kendra felt Bracken kiss the top of her head, trying to comfort her in some way. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"I know it's stupid to blame rain for these memories, when really it was only a small factor in these events. I just...I don't know." She finished lamely.

"You would be surprised on how we can associate little things with bad memories." Bracken said, his voice rumbling inside his chest. "When I got the news that my father had been defeated by the demon king, I was helping my younger sister pick apples from a tree in the courtyard. She had been bothering me about it for weeks, saying I was the only one tall enough to reach the higher ones."

Kendra smile at the thought of him picking apples with his sister, she loved hearing stories about his life before she met him. Loved the story more if it included his family.

"For centuries I didn't eat apples." Bracken admitted. Kendra raised her head, searching his face.

"Really?" She asked, he nodded at her.

"Avoided them like they carried a plague." She smiled at him before laying her head back down on his chest. "My point is, associating rain with bad memories isn't stupid. It's normal, tiny things can leave a long lasting imprint on us."

"Wow, deep stuff unicorn." She mumbled, earning a laugh from him. She loved his laugh, he didn't laugh much, sure he chuckled sometimes, but usually he would just smile and shake his head at something funny. So when he let his guard down and truly laughed, she savored it.

They laid there for hours, conversations drifting in and out, just enjoying each other's company. When it stopped raining, Kendra sat up. Watching as the room slowly brightened as the sun came out from the clouds. Bracken sat up as well, bending one knee to rest his elbow on it, his hand holding his head. The other hand rubbed circles on her back as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"We should probably do something." She said.

"Mmmhmm." He hummed, not moving.

"Like now."

"Mmmhmm" She lifted her head up to look at him. She had planned to say something, but looking into his eyes she forgot what she was going to say. It amazed her that even now she could get lost in them, the silvery blue captivating her as much as they did the first day she looked into them.

They stayed like that for a moment, before gravity took in and their lips connected. That was just another thing that Kendra admired about Bracken. His kiss was special to her, no one would ever compare to the way Bracken kisses her. He cradles her face in one of his hands, the other coming around her back while his lips expertly moved against hers, convincing her that she doesn't need air, all she needs is him. They broke apart too soon in Kendra's opinion, foreheads still touching.

"We should probably do something." Bracken said, mimicking her words earlier.

"Mmmhmm" She replied before pressing her lips to his once more, leaning back down on the bed, effectively silencing any other words he was going to say as he followed her, chasing her lips.

No, they probably weren't gonna do much today, and for the first time, Kendra was _more_ than okay with that.


	6. Stony Vale

**A/N: I was prompted to write a one shot based on this text post on tumblr: post/128538234541/storyandasong-by-the-time-dragonwatch-begins SO, this happened! Stony Vale is from the fifth book, where kendra talks to the fairy queen!**

 **also this was beta'd by my favorite person sarah (cupcakesintheimpala on tumblr)**

* * *

It seemed to happen in slow motion.

Standing in the vault on a preserve called Stony Vale. Warren felt like he was out of his body watching as the minotaur clubbed Kendra in the head. He watched as she fell, unconscious, to the ground. He watched and realized with horror that she was to close to the edge of the lake. He watched as she fell into the water and out of his sight.

Time seemed to slow down as Warren and the others took in what just happened before springing into action. None of them knew what lived in that lake, so even if Kendra had awoken and was, by some miracle, not drowning, she could still be in danger if whatever was down there go to her.

As Trask, Seth and Tanu engaged the creature, Warren shucked off all his heavy gear except for his sword and dove straight into the water.

It was murky and dark, almost unnaturally so. He could only see a few feet in front of him as he frantically swam deeper. Finally he saw her, the water around her head bloody from her wound. He swam over to her as fast as he could, grabbing her around the waist before swimming back up. He felt his lungs burning as his oxygen ran out. After what seemed like an eternity, their heads broke the surface and he desperately sucked in air again.

He swam back over to the ledge, towing Kendra along with him. Trask and Tanu were waiting for him, and they reached down and pulled Kendra, who was still unconscious, out of the water.

Warren climbed out after, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes. They laid Kendra on the ground, Tanu searching in his potion bag. Warren checked for a pulse in her neck and found one, but it was weak. He leaned down, placing his ear near her mouth and listened for the sound of her breathing. He found none.

"She's not breathing." He said, mostly to himself. He shared a look with Trask before starting CPR, pushing away memories from the last time he had done this. Her stingbulb – of course at the time he was sure it was really Kendra and when he hadn't been able to revive her – No, he would not think like that.

"What's happening?! Is she going to be okay?!" Seth. Damn, they almost forgot about the kid. Trask ran over to him tugging him away, he didn't need to see this happen again.

"No! What's going on, stop! Let me see her!" Warren tried to ignore Seth's yelling as he counted.

 _…27, 28, 29, 30_ He reached down pinched her nose and blew into her mouth twice before started compressions again.

 _1, 2, 3, 4_

"Come on Kendra, you don't get to leave us." He muttered, continuing to count in his head.

 _10, 11, 12, 13_

Tanu was mixing potions, mumbling to himself. Warren knew that for whatever potion he was mixing, Kendra needed to be alive and breathing to use it.

 _19, 20, 21, 22_

Seth was still shouting at Trask, fighting against his hold. How had the situation gotten so crazy?

 _29, 30._ Another two breaths, still nothing.

"God dammit Kendra, breathe." He resumed compressions, sharing a look with Tanu. How much water had gotten in her lungs? Was she without oxygen for too long? Would she ever wake up?

 _14, 15, 16 ,17._

Finally, Kendra started coughing. Warren and Tanu sat her up as she coughed out the water in her lungs. Warren could have cried in relief. When she was done, Tanu leaned her head back and poured the potion into her mouth.

Warren looked up at Trask and Seth, nodding to them. Trask let go of Seth who immediately ran over.

"Is she going to be okay?" He asked, his eyes on Kendra.

Warren heard Tanu's voice as he answered but he didn't comprehend his words. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes, trying to settle his heart rate. They had almost lost her again. This damn kid was going to give him a heart attack one of these days.

Trask's voice cut through his thoughts. "Nothing gave you any trouble down there?"

"No. Nothing seemed to be down there." He answered, opening his eyes again. He watched as Tanu dressed the bleeding wound on Kendra's temple.

"You okay?" He laughed at the question.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." He settled down on the floor. "What about that Minotaur? Where the hell did he come from?"

"Not sure, my guess is crossing the lake was a distraction, obviously we would think the lake would hold the next obstacle." Trask answered shaking his head. "Obviously we were wrong, but no matter, the brute fell before too long. Seth got a good swipe at him."

Warren raised his eyebrows at the boy. "Yeah? Nice job kid."

Seth tried to play nonchalant but they could tell he was proud of himself. "Well, he hurt Kendra, I can't let him get away with that."

Since Zzyxx the siblings had been more protective over each other. Seth once punched Bracken in the face because he thought Kendra was mad at him.

"Damn right." Warren muttered, eyes falling back to Kendra. After she had swallowed the potion she had promptly passed out again, apparently having used all her strength. Tanu was long done with caring for her wound, now they just waited for her to wake up.

Minutes passed and Warren began to grow worried. There were attempts at conversations but they all fell flat. Seth turned his sword over and over, glancing at his sister every odd second. Warren knew what Seth was thinking about, because he was too: that night with Kendra's stingbulb copy.

After she had poisoned herself Warren tried to revive her for several minutes using the same technique he had used earlier. It hadn't worked that time. Of course, it wasn't actually Kendra but they didn't know that. Her presumed death had devastated them, Seth barely talked for days on end.

Warren couldn't ever get that picture of Kendra laying there, lifeless out of his head if he tried, and he damn well tried. Now, they had almost lost her again.

"Hey, there she is!" Tanu said, looking over Warren saw that Kendra's eyes were open again, looking around. She slowly brought her hands to her head, scrunching her face up.

"You good, kid?" Warren asked.

"Ow." Was the only reply he got, causing the rest of them to laugh. "Glad my pain is funny to you guys." She complained. Then she extended her arms out. "Help please?"

Warren stood, grabbed her hands and pulled her up, steadying her when she swayed dangerously. "We sure she should be walking?" He asked Tanu.

"I'm fine, just gimmie a minute." Kendra mumbled. Behind her Tanu shrugged, so Warren let her walk a little. After a few minutes she nodded. "Okay i'm good, let's get going."

She still looked shaky but they all wanted to leave the vault sooner rather than later so they gathered up all their stuff and headed through a tunnel, on to the next challenge. Trask led the way, while Seth and Kendra followed, Seth yapping her ear off about the Minotaur. Warren and Tanu brought up the rear, following along quietly.

"So did it make the list?" Tanu spoke up after a while.

"What?"

"You know the list of things you would rather experience than harpie venom." Tanu explained.

Warren was quiet for a moment. It was a running joke: how many things are worse than venom from some winged hags? Almost everything made the list – almost.

"No, it didn't." He replied. He would take a scratch from a harpie any day over almost losing his best friend.

* * *

Later on, back at the main house of Stony Vale, Kendra found him in the living room.

"So, I hear you saved me from drowning." Kendra said, drawing his attention from the book he was reading.

"Well, I am your protector aren't I? I wouldn't be doing my job very well if I let you die." He replied, smiling at her. She threw herself down next to him on the couch.

"Still, thank you." She pushed her shoulder into his.

"You know how you can thank me?" She turned her head to look at him, brows furrowed.

"How?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't make me have to perform CPR on you ever again." She laughed.

"I'll try to keep my near death experiences to a minimum." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Much appreciated. Not only do I have your grandfather to answer to if you die, but now I have a unicorn, who is also the Fairy Prince. So if you go down, you're taking me with you." He leaned his head on hers as she smiled.

"Bracken wouldn't hurt you." She said.

"Oh? Did you not see the way he glared at that centaur when he threatened you last month? It was the whole meaning of 'if looks could kill'!"

"Yeah, but that was a centaur, and like Seth always says, centaurs are jerks. Bracken wouldn't hurt you. You're his friend, and he isn't a violent person." She reasoned.

"Tell that to the demons on Shoreless Isle." He teased. Kendra rolled her eyes, instead of responding she just settled into the couch more. Warren planted a kiss on the top of her head before turning back to his book. Fifteen minutes later Kendra was asleep.

Warren waited for a bit, making sure she was truly sleeping before setting his book down and picking her up. He carried her to her borrowed room and tucked her in, shutting the curtains to block the remaining sunlight from disturbing her.

After placing one last kiss on her head, he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. He peeked into Seth's and saw the boy sleeping as well with the T.V. playing some action movie. He crossed over to the T.V. and turned it off, he then pulled the blankets over Seth and turned the light off. Satisfied that his two cousins were safe and sound in their beds he wandered into his own room to go to sleep himself.

It had been a long day, and while he would have liked it much better if Kendra hadn't had that near death experience, they had all survived. He couldn't remember last time they went into a vault without someone dying. The thought had plagued him the entire time, but for once in his life, luck smiled upon them.

And for that reason, Warren fell asleep smiling.


	7. Nightmares

**A/N: An anon prompted me this on tumblr: "warren and kendra brotp; warren comforting kendra after she has nightmares about the zzyzx ordeal"**

 **And how could I resist writing these two cuties, they are the best brotp in the game! Also, thank you to all that have left nice reviews! It means a lot!**

* * *

There was the sound of demons howling and swords clashing. There was the color red, everywhere, the sights of her loved ones being killed one by one, their screams filling her ears, leaving them ringing. The sound haunted her so deeply she was sure she would never hear anything else.

Seth's corpse laying on the ground beside her. They hadn't been quick enough, and he had died from his injuries. Kendra wanted to do something, to run and help as Trask and Vanessa were both struck down. She wanted to fight for the last time as she watched Warren go down. She wanted to scream to move to do something as Bracken went spiraling leaving only the Fairy Queen to fend for herself, but she couldn't. Something was keeping her from moving an inch, she was paralyzed as, finally the Fairy Queen was defeated and she saw the Demon King's eyes fall onto her.

She was alone. She wanted to run as he made his way through the astrids and the fairies to her. She was alone. They were gone, she was alone. She wanted to close her eyes as his sword was lifted in the air-

"Kendra!" Seconds before the sword reached her she awoke with a start, feeling someone shaking her. She sat up quickly, breathing heavily, scrambling back, fighting against the hold of the arms around her.

"Kendra, _stop_!" The arms around her tightened, and eventually she calmed. Panting as she tried to calm her heart rate Kendra relaxed in the arms.

"That's it, you're safe. It was just a nightmare." She turned to face the owner of the arms; Warren. Of course. After she had moved out of the attic they set up her room in one of the only spare rooms left, right next to Warren's. He must have heard her having a nightmare and rushed to wake her.

The thought of the nightmare made her eyes sting with tears. Shuddering she turned into Warren's hold, trying to keep from downright sobbing, but unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face.

"Shh," He hushed her, "It's okay, you're okay." He rubbed her back with one hand, the other smoothing her hair down as he rocked them back in forth. "It was just a dream, nothing can hurt you now. I'm right here."

Kendra tried to keep from remembering the dream, forcing herself to remind herself that everything was fine, that all her loved ones on the island had survived. It was easier with Warren there comforting her, usually she woke up alone, clammy and shaking. Kendra would spend hours crying by herself in her room, trying to keep from waking the others until she was emotionally exhausted and sleep claimed her again. Eventually she pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"You okay?" Warren asked, watching her carefully. Kendra didn't trust herself to speak just yet so she just nodded her head.

"You know you can't lie to me right? I can always tell when you are." Warren said, eyebrows raising at her sad attempt to seem okay. Kendra sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get out of this without talking to him.

"I just," Kendra started, her usually high and sweet voice rough from sleep and crying. She cleared her throat before trying again. "I just…it was only a nightmare. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

"What was the nightmare about?" Kendra closed her eyes at the question. She didn't want to talk about that.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, then do me one favor?" She looked at him expectantly, he smiled at her. "Come downstairs and have something to drink – water, hot chocolate…whatever. I don't want you to go back to sleep upset. We don't have to talk about it, but it would make me feel a lot better."

"I would like that a lot, actually." She found herself smiling back. He helped her untangle herself from her blankets before pulling her to her feet and off her bed. He then lead her downstairs, his arm still around her. At first she felt a little awkward as he put a teapot on the stove and pulled out the hot cocoa. But then he started telling her about how Seth shot at a target with a bow and arrow and ended up hitting Hugo in the arm.

She found herself laughing at how off her brother's aim had been, how Warren was reenacting Hugo's befuddled reaction to getting hit with an arrow, and watching as he made the stupidest faces and mimicked Hugo's walk surprisingly well.

They stayed down there, talking about everything from Bracken and Vanessa's stupid rivalry, to the fact that Mara and Elise were so obviously in love with each other that they were surprised they even tried to hide it. Soon, the sun was rising and shining through the window and falling onto the two cousins cuddled up on the couch, mugs of hot chocolate abandoned in the other room at the kitchen table.

This marked the beginning of a tradition, an unspoken promise, that whenever one of them was having a rough night, they would grab the other, head downstairs, and talk for hours. They never made it back up to their rooms on these nights, and sometimes they would be joined by someone else.

Seth was becoming a regular participant, and when Vanessa started spending the nights in Warren's room instead of her own, she would join on the nights she wasn't completely passed out. Tanu and Trask both had joined one night when they came back from a small trip for the Knights at 3 A.M and found Warren and Kendra in their usual spots in the kitchen. Even Bracken would join in when he visited, the three of them were pretty good friends. You just don't run through a field of deadly fruit with dirt in your noses and not becoming close. It was just one of those things.

Thinking back on the nights Kendra would spend crying quietly alone, she wondered how she never realized that she had a whole family that would bend over backwards to help her through the night, and one of them was right next door.


	8. Breaking Her Silence

**A/N: If you haven't considered Elise and Mara as a ship, you should. Anyway this is mostly based off of my headcanon's with some side canon. I couldn't resist writing a little bit Bracken and Mara friendship, that relationship always intrigued me. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Mara wasn't always the quiet one. In fact, she used to yap anyone and everyone's ear off, always having something to say, a comment to make. Her mother used to say she spoke in paragraphs, filled with run-on sentences. She would talk non-stop, she even talked to herself at night, voicing her plans for the next day out loud until sleep overcame her. As she grew older, her non-stop talking began to slow, by the time she turned 20 she rarely ever spoke. She listened intently, making comments in her head but almost never giving them a voice. After her mother passed and the preserve she called home fell to a dragon, she spoke even less, even the comments in her head slowed.

She spent months, alone, in silence. Her voice turned rough from lack of use. Only speaking when she absolutely had to. The more she spoke, the more she wanted to run away and hide. Socialization had grown tiring for her, she put up walls and created a cold exterior, casting everyone who tried to have a conversation with her a hard look. At Wrymroost, she found herself needing to use her voice more often then she would prefer. She couldn't wait to get out of the cursed sanctuary and go back to silence. When she was cast off the cliff by Gavin, or Navarog, she had managed to grab onto an out sticking branch and free climb her way down to a small cliff, where she hid behind a boulder, grimacing in pain as the blow Gavin had given her had broke her ribs.

' _That traitor'_ she had thought, along with a string of curses even sailors would gasp at. She had known who he really was the second he had transformed. There was no denying who the stuttering boy had really been.

She was spotted by a griffin and carried to safety. After the whole ordeal Mara went back to her small apartment in Arizona, relishing in the silence. She no longer needed to talk, she could remain silent for days on end and no one would look at her funny. Her ribs healed before to long but then, three months later, she was called into yet another mission. She knew they would call on her, she had been a part of the mission to retrieve the key to the very vault they were about to enter, but she couldn't help but wish they hadn't.

She had wished they hadn't up until she saw her, the woman introduced herself as Elise flipping her dark, red streaked, hair off of her shoulder.

"Mara." She said, cringing on the inside on how rough her voice sounded. They sat apart on the plane, Mara forced herself not to be disappointed. She just met this person of course they wouldn't sit next to each other.

In the vault, when she had begun to grow frustrated with herself as the pathways messed with her mind, Elise had placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort, Mara tried to ignore the burn of her cheeks and how the simple gesture had left tingles running down her spine and awoke butterflies in her stomach.

Then she had been captured, she watched as Elise, Kendra and Trask disappeared with the translocator, as chains wrapped around her injured body.

' _At least Elise made it out_.' She had found herself thinking before she could stop the thought. Trask had come back and grabbed Tanu, he had fought to get to her but she had screamed for him to get the hell out of here. She wasn't worth losing the artifact over.

The wizard had cast a spell and the last thing she remembered was watching Trask and Tanu disappear. When she awoke she was in a dark cell and in pain. Groaning she tried to push herself up but stopped when the pain intensified.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that." A male voice said. Fight or flight instinct kicked in and she found herself shooting up from her position and standing to face whoever was there. The cell spun dangerously and she nearly collapsed. Strong hands caught her and laid her back down. She glared up at the stranger taking in his silver hair and dirty clothes.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Bracken, i'm a fellow prisoner here." He explained. Mara nearly scoffed at him.

"So what, you're my cellmate?" She bit out. Bracken smiled ruefully.

"No, my cell is stashed quite a bit deeper than yours i'm afraid. I just heard we had a new addition and thought I would say hi."

"I'm supposed to believe you can just walk out of your cell and into another person's?" She couldn't believe this guy. How stupid does he think she is?

Mara listened as he explained how the prison was old and there were many pathways dug up to connect the cells. He seemed to have told this story a thousand times by the practiced way he spoke. It sounded like Bracken had been here for centuries. Mara regarded him, he looked just shy of 18, how long could he have even been in here anyway?

"What are you?" She asked bluntly, interrupting his speech. He looked surprised, then he looked away shyly.

"Why don't we save that answer for when you trust me?"

"No. Tell me. Now." She insisted harshly. Trying her best to look menacing from her place on the cot. Bracken sighed before looking back at her.

"A unicorn." She narrowed her eyes but other than that showed no reaction.

"Okay, unicorn. Prove it. Heal me." She said, Bracken's eyebrows raised.

"What? No laughing, no wondering how come I don't look like a horse?" Mara said nothing, continuing to challenge him to prove himself.

Bracken seemed to get the message and came back over to her. He laid his hands just above her ribs and closed his eyes. She was shocked to see that his hands really did start to admit a white pearly glow and she felt her ribs slowly start to heal. But something was off, if he was a unicorn this should come easy, the healing was happening too slow and Bracken had begun to look tired.

After a moment he stopped, looking frustrated.

"As you can see, I'm not all I used to be without my horns." Ah, so that's why he doesn't look like a horse. She reluctantly let him come back periodically to continue healing, one day he stopped coming. Mara hoped he didn't meet his end, but with no way to find out she sat in her cell, wondering what could be happening out there. She found herself wondering about Elise. Was she alright? Was she even still alive? She tried to keep her thoughts positive throughout the never ending days.

Soon enough she was rescued out of the prison, with news that while the demon prison had been opened, the victory was short lived. The crisis they had been facing for years on end was finally over. She even smiled when she heard how little Kendra had killed the Demon King. She was overjoyed when she saw Elise, alive and well. Ironically, Elise had been captured and was in the same prison as Mara, just a few rows away. Elise had caught her eye and the next thing Mara knew she was wrapped up in Elise's arms.

"Oh, I am so glad you're alright! I wanted to go back and grab you but Trask said it was too dangerous, I have been so worried. Of course I went and got myself captured not too long after, can you believe that we were only a short distance away and never knew?" Elise was rambling in her ear, her tight grip on her sent Mara's heart stuttering. Mara couldn't help but be disappointed when she pulled away.

Mara studied her, how her dark skin still held that youthful glow, how her brown eyes still held the same warmth, her hair still had traces of the red in it but they had begun to fade. Mara found herself talking, telling Elise what had happened after she was captured. When she mention Bracken and how he disappeared one day Elise had pointed behind her, turning she saw Bracken speaking with Kendra. Elise told her how he had escaped with Warren and Kendra, and been a strong leader at the battle of Zzyxx, according to Trask.

When she was told he was actually the Fairy Queen's son Mara nearly choked on her drink. Looking back at him, he caught her awed gazed and smiled knowingly. He shrugged his shoulders at her before turning back to Kendra.

' _That little...how could he forget to mention he was the son of the Fairy Queen?!_ ' She thought before following his suit she turned back to Elise.

Through the night Mara and Elise shared glances and looks. They kept in touch and even met up sometimes after that night. Mara could never help herself around Elise, she found that she spoke in paragraphs filled with run on sentences when she was with her. She spoke non-stop. Elise made her wonder why she ever stopped talking, the two would spend hours together.

Mara wanted more than this friendship she had, but she never knew how to approach the subject. That is, until one day, in the middle of a rant, Elise interrupted her.

"You're really cute when you talk about something you're passionate about. Did you know that?"

Mara didn't know how to respond, so instead she just kissed her. And kissed her and kissed her and kissed her.

Months after that day, they moved in together. Mara couldn't believe there was a time she was content in silence. She loved when she could hear Elise's singing in the shower, she loved how Elise blasted her music as they cleaned around the house, and most importantly she loved how Elise's voice filled her ears as she talked to her, telling her about the latest obsession filling her life.

Elise was filled with noise, no longer did Mara crave for silence. Instead she craved for Elise's laughter, her ridiculous music, and her angelic singing voice. Sure, there were days were even in Elise's presence she found herself unwilling to speak. Elise always let her have her space on those days, letting her have her silence. But Mara needed the silence less and less as her life went on.

Elise understood her in ways other's just couldn't. Mara loved her with every bone in her body, and, god, loving Elise was the most addicting feeling she had ever felt. Loving her was like speaking in paragraphs filled with run on sentences; there never seemed to be an end to her love. Mara could talk about her all day, and it wouldn't be enough. Her thoughts were non-stop again, and Mara wouldn't want it any other way.


	9. Jealousy

**A/N: This has been in my head for a while so here it is!**

* * *

Kendra wasn't a jealous person. She always tried to keep that particular emotion in check. But right now, she wasn't sure if she was going to turn green with envy or red with rage. She wasn't a jealous or violent person. But if this unicorn did not get her greedy hooves off Bracken she was going to explode.

The trip to the fairy realm had started off amazing, she met Bracken's sisters, spoke with the Queen face to face and got to see the realm Bracken would go on about for hours on end in his visits. Then Lorelai came into play.

"Oh, Prince Bracken how _wonderful_ it is to see you again!" She had exclaimed, embracing him. He had played along and introduced Kendra to Lorelai. She had seemed nice enough and Bracken and Kendra went on their way. Of course that was hardly the last time they saw her. Lorelai had a certain knack of finding them everywhere. She would clutch at Bracken, speaking of old memories. Kendra would not be as bothered by this if Bracken hadn't been equally responsive in the conversation. Kendra bit her tongue and reminded herself that these two were probably friends for centuries, of course they would be close. But then Lorelai made one tiny comment Kendra couldn't shake off.

"So, this is the human you have chosen? Huh, and to think you could have been married to me, but no matter, we all...have our choices." Kendra knew what Lorelai meant to say was "we all make mistakes" and she was seething about it.

"Now, I wouldn't have been happy, married to you, would I now Lorelai?" Bracken had responded almost crossly. He took Kendra's hand in his rather pointedly. But that didn't sway Lorelai, no not one bit.

"Of course, well, I shall not hold you back. Have a safe journey home." She embraced Bracken, glaring at Kendra behind his back, before placing a kiss on his cheek, holding Kendra's gaze.

Bracken, ever the gentleman, kissed her hand, "I'm sure we will, good day Lorelai."

"Good day Bracken... _handmaiden_." And with that she swished away.

They had left after that, jumping through a portal, right back to Fablehaven's shrine. Kendra had been keeping silent through the journey, walking in silence to the main house. Inside she was screaming, she knew she was being irrational but how could Bracken not tell her that the women that followed them around for two days had been set to marry him?! Had this piece of information just slipped his mind? Or did he purposely not say in fear of upsetting Kendra? Either way, Kendra was filled with jealousy and anger.

Sure, she didn't have much to be jealous of, Bracken loved her and would never be disloyal, but she had been grabbing her boyfriend at every chance she got and it was upsetting that Bracken never asked her to stop. Whatever happened to unicorns being solitary creatures? Storming up the stairs to her room, she felt Bracken close behind her, finally picking up on her mood. She noticed Warren stepping out of his room but ignored him completely. Instead she slammed the door to her room in Bracken's face, not caring how rude or dramatic it seemed.

Once inside she began pacing the room in anger, ignoring the conversation that was happening on the other side of the door.

* * *

Bracken didn't understand why Kendra slammed the door in his face, he didn't understand why waves of anger were rolling off of her either. What had he done to anger her so? He racked his brain, she had seemed fine when they went through the portal, she was a little quiet on the walk home but he assumed she was tired. He couldn't think of anything that would make her so upset with him.

"What in the hell was that about?" Bracken almost jumped at the sound of Warren's voice, he had forgotten he was there.

"I haven't the faintest idea." Bracken said honestly.

"Well, I know my cousin and she doesn't get that angry easily so you better start explaining yourself." Warren sounded like he was struggling to remain open minded with him. Bracken realized how this looked to him, and Warren was very protective over Kendra. Bracken and Warren were pretty close friends by now but if Kendra was upset because of Bracken, Warren would always take her side.

"Warren, I promise, I don't know why she is mad. She seemed absolutely fine until we got to the house." Bracken kept his voice calm, trying to show he wasn't going to fight.

"Okay, I believe you. But maybe, whatever you did happened before you left the realm. I'm going in to talk to her, you figure it out." He said, a little warmer towards him towards the end of the sentence the words came out a bit harsh. Warren slipped past him and into Kendra's room, shutting the door in Bracken's face again.

* * *

"Okay kid, what happened, why are you so upset?" Warren watched as she paced back and forth.

"Did you know, that Bracken, was once set to marry some tall, beautiful unicorn? Because I sure didn't! Nope! Didn't have the faintest clue! Now I just spent the last two days watching her _fawn_ over him, grabbing at him, and even _kissing his cheek_ while she glared at me!" Warren eyes widened at the outburst.

"I wouldn't be so bothered if she hadn't repeatedly _insulted_ me while doing it! 'Is this the _human_ you chose Bracken? We all make mistakes Bracken! Just think you could have married _me_ Bracken!'. And of course, they all flew over my _clueless_ boyfriends head, he never even noticed how upset I was until I slammed a door in his face!" Kendra knew her voice was getting loud but she couldn't find a reason to care. Warren sat on her bed, rubbing his hand over his face.

"He never told her to stop?" He asked.

"No! He just let her get all touchy with him, he even kissed her hand before he left! 'Solitary creatures', he said. Doesn't seem that way now!" She was shouting at this point.

"You don't have to shout, I'm right here." Warren reasoned. "Besides, you shouldn't be threatened by her. He loves you."

"Of course i'm threatened Warren! This, Lorelai, is a unicorn! She's tall, graceful, beautiful, and a unicorn! Everybody would rather see her with Bracken than me! The handmaiden, the human! I can't beli-"

"Is that what this is about?" Bracken apparently had heard enough and was standing in the now open doorway. "You're upset because of Lorelai?"

Warren looked between the two unsure if he should leave and let them fight it out, or stay in case things got too heated.

"Actually, I'm upset about how you did nothing while she repeatedly insulted me, I figured you would have heard that since you apparently love to eavesdrop." Kendra hissed.

"Hard not to hear everything you're saying when you're shouting." He replied coolly. "Besides, I don't see how she did anything truly wrong to get you this upset."

"I'm sorry, did you miss on how she glared at me every second she could, the way she said 'human' like I was some rodent? How about when she mentioned that you could've _married_ her?! You never told me that little bit of information!" Kendra all but yelled at him. Bracken closed his eyes before responding.

"Because I didn't think it was important! I don't want to marry her! She was only mad that because of you, she lost her chance to the throne! That's all I am to her, a way to power. When I fell in love with you it ruined her plans to marry me and become queen one day."

"If that is all she wants then why were you acting like you two were the best of friends? All those lovely trips down memory lane, the kiss on her hand, letting her repeatedly interrupt our plans without so much of a protest?" Kendra was having a hard time believing that he didn't care for Lorelai with the way he had acted towards her.

"A show. I'm a prince and no matter how much I would like to tell her off, I can't. I have to hold my tongue and keep out of trouble. Lorelai is already mad enough about her ruined plans at becoming queen, me adding insult to the injury by turning her away and telling her off would only cause her to go on an angry tyrant. Not all unicorns are well behaved, some can be quite egotistical." Bracken was struggling to remain calm at this point.

"I'm not asking you to cuss her out, I'm asking you to maybe, just _maybe_ , remember that your girlfriend is me, not her!"

"I remember that quite well actually!" He steely replied. Arms crossing on his chest. Warren decided then it would be best if he left, quickly darting past the angry unicorn and out the door.

"It sure didn't seem like it! You being all over her just as much as she was over you!" Kendra gritted out, not backing down from this.

"You are being over dramatic. This is silly." Bracken glared at her.

"Well then why don't you run back to Lorelai, if that's how you truly feel!" She retorted.

"Oh _wow,_ really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Don't you think you are overreacting even a little bit?" He bit out.

"No! I'm not! Because no matter how much you try to convince me otherwise I know people in the fairy realm think you're off your rocker for dating me! The fairies are always talking about it! No one can believe that you chose me, your mother's handmaiden, the _human_! Every single being there would much rather you be with Lorelai than me, and now I just have to wait until you think so too." She had started her rant strong and loud, but by the end her voice grew a soft and broke as she thought of losing Bracken.

"Is that what you think will happen?" Bracken's voice was softer as well, she dared not look at him, knowing she would break down if she did.

"Kendra, that is the farthest thing from the truth. I told you once, you are the only girl my mother ever approved of me dating, my sisters love you, Marigold was practically flying with excitement when she heard you were coming. Most of the realm approves of you actually. You defeated the Demon King, you're a hero in their eyes, and mine." She felt him move towards her.

"Hey, look at me." His fingers tilted her chin up towards him, tears spilled out from her eyes and he wiped them away gently with his thumb. "There are a few that question my sanity, but they are the same ones who thought I was stupid to give up my third horn for the sake of others. They don't understand love. I don't care what they think because all I need is you. I'm not sure if I would stray from you even if my family had disapproved of you. I could care less about what anyone thinks. I love _you_ , Kendra Sorenson, and nothing will change that."

Bracken pressed their foreheads together, catching one of her hands in his.

"I just..I don't want to lose you." She whispered.

"You don't have to worry about that, love. Like it or not you are stuck with me for as long as you live." He kissed her gently before pulling away. "I am sorry for upsetting you. I see now why you would read into those actions like you did, I never meant to hurt you or make you feel unwanted."

"Apology accepted...sorry for freaking out on you and slamming the door in your face." He smiled at her, making her heart melt.

"Apology accepted." He mimicked her. Kendra pulled him back down to capture his lips with her own, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Just out of sight in the doorway, Warren smiled.


	10. Contest Of Stupidity

**A/N: Sorry for such a short eh chapter, I'm running out of ideas for one shots, so if you have any requests/prompts then I will happily try to write it! Also sorry for the longer wait for another chapter, I think it's been almost a month since I updated? Yikes, sorry again, well enjoy!**

* * *

"Do you even know who I _am_?"

"Do _you_ even know who _I_ am?"

Kendra and Vanessa stood there, watching as Seth and Warren bickered on who has done the "awesomest" thing, which of course meant who has done the stupidest thing. Bracken stood next to Kendra, his head tilted to the side in amusement and slight confusion.

'Poor guy,' Kendra thought, 'He isn't used to these antics.'

"I once jumped off a three story building with only a trash bag as a parachute!" Seth said. Warren scoffed in response.

"Like that is anything, I purposely pissed off an ogre once by telling him he looked particularly ugly that day." Warren countered. Beside Kendra, Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"And you had many broken bones to prove it." She said, glaring at Warren.

"When doesn't Warren have a broken bone though?" Kendra asked, earning a chuckle from Bracken.

"Hey!." Warren complained. "Most of those broken bones are from protecting you!"

"So it's my fault you broke your leg by jumping off a tree for no reason three days ago? What were you protecting me from then?" She challenged, raising an eyebrow at him expectantly. Unfazed Warren turned back towards Seth.

"See I did that too!" He said, gesturing back to Kendra in a wild motion, hitting her in the face on accident. "Opps, sorry Kens!"

Kendra pouted at him rubbing her temple, "Rude."

"Oh look, another thing to add to my list! I hit the great demon king slayer in the face and lived to tell the tale!" Warren exclaimed, only half joking.

"Yeah yeah, but have you ever insulted a centaur to his face?" Seth said, sounding way too pleased with himself. Kendra fought the urge to roll her eyes, finding the memory frustrating even now.

"No, but I have sassed a Sphinx. Not the Sphinx as in dirty traitor, guy we hate, Sphinx but and actual Sphinx."

"That's true, he did." Bracken spoke up, remembering the exchange.

"So? I hid away in the knapsack and traveled to Wrymroost without permission!" Seth exclaimed.

"By my suggestion! And without me you wouldn't have pulled it off, that doesn't count!" Warren retorted.

"I'm still angry with you for that Warren." Kendra said, glaring at him. Warren looked back over at her a little embarrassed.

"Sorry?" He offered.

"Fine if that doesn't count, I slayed a dragon!" Seth drew the attention back to the argument.

"That isn't something I would brag about." Bracken winced.

"Well, I once broke almost all the bones in my body, got burned with acid, was stabbed, and poisoned!" Warren continued. Kendra and Vanessa both cringed at the memory. Vanessa hated thinking about it because the same thing happened to her, and it had really hurt. Kendra hated thinking about it because she remembered how much of a wreck Warren had looked in that moment. She had been sure he was going to die.

"I defeated two demons!" Seth said.

"I defeated three! Something no one ever congratulates me on, might I add!" Warren countered. This was true, they had been lesser demons, but Bracken had said it had helped them greatly.

"I got eaten by a demon and survived." Seth said, leaving out the fact he then got pooped out.

"I made Raxtus drop me while flying, without a parachute, and killed a harpie mid-air!" Warren said in turn. Bracken and Kendra shared a look, reminiscing on how they were both convinced Warren was insane in that moment.

"I bargained with the Singing Sisters!"

"I jumped out of a car going 50 miles per hour!"

"I recovered Vasilis!"

"I once kicked the Sphinx between the legs, and then proceeded to punch him a few times, all while calling him a handful of names I probably shouldn't repeat in front of Seth." Bracken admitted quietly. All eyes turned to the unicorn in surprise.

"You...did?" Kendra asked slowly, blinking up at him. Bracken didn't quite meet her gaze.

"It wasn't one of my finer moments, it was the first time I saw him after he stole my horn and imprisoned me so I was...enraged to say the least." Bracken rubbed the back of his neck shyly. He seemed hesitant to continue.

"I snapped the neck of his only bodyguard to get to him. I'm not too proud of it, unicorns aren't usually violent beings, but that was his own fault, he underestimated me and thought some normal human could restrain me, no offence but even without any horns humans are no match for a angry unicorn. Let's just say the Sphinx never made the mistake to underestimate me again."

"Bracken wins." Warren said in awe.

"Yeah, Bracken wins." Seth agreed.


	11. Arrows And Ohana

**A/N: This idea came to me because someone said Kendra would be the type to practice until she physically wasn't able to, and so i tried to make a little back story and made it a little angsty. Besides who doesn't love a little Tanu and Kendra friendship? Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Kendra liked to practice. She relished in the satisfaction when you finally see the progress you made. When she was in 7th grade, she had gotten a lead role in a school musical. A girl who was also up for that part had sneered at her, saying she would never be able to hit a high note that Kendra's character had. In retaliation, Kendra had practiced, doing vocal exercises, running through the music over and over and over again. When it came time for the musical to hit the stage, Kendra nailed that high note every night.

Then, in freshman year, she made the high school soccer team. She had felt like she was a weak link on the team, so she had practiced day and night, on the field and off. She even bribed Seth into practicing with her in their backyard. Soon, she became one of the best members on the team, even beating out some of the seniors.

Kendra didn't care if it was piano, baking, or recently, sword fighting. She loved to practice it all, always aiming to be better, always leaving room for improvement. Practice or training was usually fun for her, tough, but fun. But not now. No, now she was practicing for a more sombering reason. Because of her inability to aim right, Warren had almost gotten killed.

 _Thump_. An arrow lodged into a target in the most inner circle, close to being at the very center of the whole target block.

 _'_ _Not close enough.'_ Kendra thought, nocking another arrow, ignoring the sting on her fingers as she drew the tight string back to her cheek. Aiming carefully but quickly she fired.

Thump. This one was even farther from the very center. Growling in frustration she reached back for another arrow.

"Nice shot." Someone called, as she drew the string back yet again. She sensed the person walking closer but kept her focus on the target. Breathing out, she fired. This one hit home a tad closer than the last two but still remained away from the very center.

Kendra reached to grab another arrow but a hand caught her wrist causing her to turn around to face them. Surprisingly it was Trask, she all but glared at him as he examined the bloody mess that were her fingers.

"Jeez Kendra, how long have you been at this? Your fingers are a mess." said Trask. "I didn't even know that drawing a bow could do this."

"An hour." Kendra said numbly, snatching her hand back from Trask's grasp. She turned back to the target, nocking another arrow.

"Hold up, an hour? Okay, you're done for the day, come on." He put his hand out expectantly for the bow, but Kendra only aimed around him. She needed to hit the very center, she just did. Trask stepped in front of her just when she was about to let the arrow fly.

"Trask! I could've shot you!" She exclaimed, trying to find a clear way around his body to the target.

"But you didn't. Stop trying to shoot the arrow, just give me the bow so we can go take care of your fingers." He said calmly.

"Go take care of Warren, he needs it more than my stupid fingers." Kendra muttered. Finally finding a way to duck around Trask. She aimed at the target just as she head Trask sigh.

"So that is what this is about." He said. Kendra didn't reply, instead she released the string watching as the arrow hit home. This one didn't even get close to the very center. Sure it was in the red circle where most people aimed for, but she wanted the very center of the red circle. A perfect shot.

Trask must have sensed her frustration because he then asked, "Why are you so angry? All of those made it right on target!"

Kendra shook her head. Before she could even reach back for yet another arrow, the bow was ripped from her hand. Whipping around to face the culprit she made a grab for it but of course, Trask was very much taller than her and kept the weapon well out of reach.

"Give it back." She demanded.

"No, I said you're done for the day." He said, beginning to walk back to the house, clearly expecting her to follow, which of course, she did.

"I haven't hit the target where I want it yet!"

"Don't care. You have had enough for today. Now, go inside and see Tanu about your fingers, he's in Warren's room." Trask said strictly, not leaving room for argument. Sighing she pulled of the quiver of arrows she still had on her back and handed it to Trask before walking inside heading towards Warren's room.

Kendra didn't want to face Warren. The two of them, accompanied by Trask, and Mara had gone to take Lost Mesa back. Agad and Bracken had laid the foundation, now all was left to subdue a few wandering creatures into their proper roaming areas and all would be well.

Everything was going fine until a minotaur didn't want to go back to his old roaming privileges, in fact he didn't want Lost Mesa to be put back together. The minotaur had became angry very fast and soon, the group was amidst a battle against him. They didn't want to kill him, just subdue him so they could move him, but soon it became obvious that they were going to have to go for the kill.

Kendra hadn't gone in weaponless this time, she had a bow and arrow but while she knew how to keep an arrow on target, she didn't want to risk hurting anyone, so she focused on retreating a little ways back, nocking an arrow just in case. Suddenly the minotaur focused on Warren, quickly disarming him with a brutal hit Warren's arm, clearly breaking it. Mara and Trask were trying to distract the minotaur, to get the beast to focus on them instead of Warren, but the minotaur had sensed that he could make an easy kill of Warren and easily blocked all of their attempts at stopping him. The minotaur had picked up Warren's fallen sword and went in for the killing stroke.

The next few moments happened so fast, Kendra was surprised she remember every detail. Kendra had raised her bow, aiming for the head of the minotaur. With the sword slashing through the air, Warren moved away just in time not to be decapitated, but Kendra saw what the minotaur was going to do. The minotaur shoved the sword towards Warren's vulnerable chest a second after Kendra let her arrow fly. The arrow skimmed the side of the minotaur's head, but it missed. Since it didn't hit him, it also did nothing to stop the sword from slicing into Warren. If the arrow had struck the minotaur, Warren might not have gotten stabbed.

Kendra can't remember how the rest of the fight went. Mara and Trask apparently got the minotaur in the end, but Kendra could only focus on keeping her hands pressed firmly to where blood was pouring from Warren's chest. By some miracle out there, it had not pierced his heart, but it was bad.

Using the translocator, which would be given back to Agad once they were gone here, they had swiftly departed for Fablehaven. Trask had rushed Warren to Tanu, who Kendra supposed took control and started healing Warren. She didn't know, she was too busy washing Warren's blood off her hands, feeling like a complete liability and failure. She could have prevented this.

Arriving at Warren's door, she took a breath, preparing herself, and knocked.

"Come in." Came Tanu's voice through the walls. She cracked the door open and stepped inside, keeping her eyes off of Warren.

"Trask sent me to get my fingers bandaged or something." She said, sounding a bit robotic. Tanu was applying a bandaged to Warren's chest where the sword had gone through him, but she only looked as far as Tanu's arm.

"What'd you go to your fingers?" Warren asked, words slurring slightly. Kendra stared at the wall and ignored him, practically feeling the frown she knew would be crossing his face at her lack of response. "Kendra?"

"Whenever you're free, Tanu, I'll be downstairs." She said, before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

* * *

About five minutes later, Tanu found her in the kitchen and pulled up a chair in front of her, holding a small first aid kit.

"You know, I remember once saying I wasn't the best healer, I usually rely on potions." He said, smiling. Earning no response he sighed and took her hand, looking at the dried blood on them.

"Bow and arrow." Kendra said, "I guess I practiced a little too long."

"Hard to take this much skin of by practicing bow and arrow, I actually didn't realize it was possible. How hard were you tugging that string?" Tanu asked, starting to clean off her fingers with some kind of antibacterial liquid so her could see the damage better.

"Pretty hard." Kendra admitted, hissing when the liquid stung her skin.

"Sorry, have to clean this." Tanu apologized, before placing the cloth down and holding her hand up a little more. "Well, you scraped some skin off, nothing I can't handle but you must have been going hard."

"I needed to get better." She mumbled.

"I see. Well, in my opinion, you have gotten pretty good with the bow, I don't think you need to worry about that." Tanu said, pulling a small tube out from the first aid kit.

"Not good enough to save Warren." Kendra said bitterly.

"This stuff will be better than a band-aid. It will keep all the dirt out, stop any irritation, and heal the broken skin faster." He informed her, while applying the cool gel to the injured fingers. "Now, it is not your fault you missed, sometimes that happens. It is also not your fault Warren got hurt."

"But I could've stopped the minotaur! If the arrow had hit-"

"But you didn't. There is no point in dwelling on what if's. These things happen, mistakes happen, it's just how life goes." Tanu said, letting go of her hand once he was done applying the gel. He regarded her intently.

"I just wanted to protect him for once, he always has protected me. It's not fair that he always gets hurt."

"That's all part of the dangerous game we play. Warren know's the risks, he usually chooses to ignore them, but he is aware of them. In no way was Warren getting hurt you're fault. Sure you could've helped him, but so could have Mara and Trask. I don't know why you always find a way to put more weight on your shoulders, kid. In fact I think you learned that from Warren, the martyr himself." Tanu ruffled her hair, smiling sadly at her. Kendra sighed deeply, still feeling a slight amount of guilt, but over all feeling better.

"Yeah I guess." She said, looking down at her hands.

"Cheer up, there's no reason to be sad, the sun's shining, fairies are flying and you are alive! Come on upstairs, Warren is worried about you." Tanu said in his ever cheerful voice. He stood up and hauled her to her feet as well, leading her upstairs.

"When isn't he worried about me." Kendra joked, earning a laugh from Tanu. He put his arm around her and squeezed her to his side.

"He takes his job as you're protector very seriously, I gave him more pain medicine to numb him and he starting threatening himself because he thinks you're mad at him." Tanu informed her. Kendra laughed, knowing that there was probably no exaggeration to the story. Warren on pain medicine was always an adventure in itself.

Reaching Warren's door, they could hear Warren singing to himself, Kendra recognized the tune to Adele's "Hello" and tried to resist laughing. Her and Tanu stood outside the door listening to the out of tune singing going on in the room for a bit, both of them holding in their giggles.

"We should get him a record deal." Tanu said, causing Kendra to scrunch up her face in effort to keep herself from bursting out laughing, they didn't want Warren to hear them and stop.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, you gave Adele in there quite the scare when you ignored him." Tanu said, turning serious. Kendra gave him a small smile.

"Sorry about that. I just wasn't up to seeing how bad he got hurt." Kendra admitted, fidgeting with her fingers.

"I understand, no one likes to see people the love hurt, why do you think I yell at him whenever he gets himself unnecessarily injured?"

"He does seem to get hurt more than most." Kendra said.

"Well, he is a Burgess." Tanu pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on as Warren sang the chorus for the hundredth time. "Okay, it stopped being funny, now I kinda wanna shut him up. Why don't we go in there before he ruins his vocal chords?"

Kendra nodded and started towards the door, but Tanu pulled her back and gave her one of his famous bear crushing hugs that left her feet dangling in the air.

"Just so you know, you can't be sad for the rest of the week. I can only take so much of sad Kendra, you don't want to break my heart now." He said, causing her to pull back and give him the biggest grin she could.

"No more sad, I promise. See? Happy, happy, happy!" She joked. Tanu nodded very "serious" like and set her down.

"Good, now you go convince Warren that the zombie apocalypse is here, I'll go get Seth to film it."

After Warren proved that he was more than ready for the zombie apocalypse ("Go in my closet, there's an extra sword, we have to chuck it at their heads! Kendra stop laughing this is serious!") they all settled down and watched the movie Lilo and Stitch at Warren's insistence. They all made the conclusion that Trask was Cobra Bubbles, Warren was David, Nani was Vanessa, Kendra was Lilo and Seth was Stitch. They even convinced Tanu that he was Dr. Jumba because of all the potion experiments he does.

They enjoyed themselves, trying to pick who would be the rest of the characters but always had conflicting opinions. Kendra and Warren cried at Stitch's family speech at the end. ("'It's small and broken, but still good.' Kendra, hold me I'm gonna lose it.") Seth danced ridiculously to the ending credits that played the Elvis song "Burning Love", unaware that Trask and Kendra were secretly filming him. Soon enough everyone was in their respective beds, sleeping soundly. Except one.

Kendra was lying awake on her bed, reflecting on the day. Sure, it started out pretty bad but it ended in laughter and family. Thinking back on the movie, she made one more connection, her family may not be small, but they all were a little broken. But still good, yeah, still good.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope that wasn't too crazy or stupid to follow along with. I have a few one shots in the works that will highlight some more of Seth because I know I have a tendency to write Kendra because she's the one I'm most practiced with, but we all need our does of sassy shadow charmer so don't worry, the next chapter will feature him. I also have a small Vanessa and Kendra friendship one shot coming up after that so stay tuned, I guess? Well, thank you to everyone who left reviews, I love you all!**


	12. Being Dark

**A/N: So sorry for not updating in a while and for this really short chapter. I usually try to write at least 1,000 words but I wanted to get at least a little something up.**

 **The reason I haven't been updating as much is because my kidney's have failed and I have been in the hospital. I'm going to be on dialysis for a least a year until I can get a kidney transplant. So, I will be very tired and very sick. I don't know how often I will be updating but since I am going to be spending more time in a bed than ever, I should be getting back on track. I just thought I would let you know in case it is the complete opposite and I don't update as much. Thank you for your patience in advance! Hope you enjoy this insanely short one shot!**

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Sometimes Seth felt like he didn't belong. With him being a shadow charmer, he was an ally of the night. Now, that didn't make him evil, he knows that, but with a fairykind sister, a unicorn for a friend and the fact the only other shadow charmer he knows is a dirty traitor, he felt a little bit like an outsider.

Seth wasn't used to that feeling, usually it was Kendra that was more on the outside. In school, he made friends easy and was comfortable being the center of attention, Kendra on the other hand was more shy and kept to herself for the most part. So now with the tables turned, Seth felt bad about ever teasing her about not being part of the crowd, it wasn't a good feeling.

It wasn't that the others actively or purposefully excluded him, in fact it was the opposite, they all reassured him that just because his powers are dark doesn't mean he will be treated different, and they always included him but, in instances like the fairies fluttering away from him quickly, he was reminded that he was different.

He was pondering this one day, slumped at the kitchen table, picking at his cereal, when Vanessa walked in.

"Someone looks down in the dumps today." She stated, finishing tying her black hair in a ponytail. She swung a chair out and sat down in front of him. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing." Seth replied a little too quickly. Vanessa said nothing but simply raised her eyebrow at him and waited. "Okay, okay, it's just...I'm different than everyone else. You know? Like the whole shadow charmer thing makes me stick out next to Kendra who is basically half fairy. Add Bracken to the mix and I'm practically a sore thumb."

"And?" Vanessa asked, not understanding where Seth was going with this.

"And, I just feel a little left out alright?" He mumbled quickly, trying to ignore the flush on his cheeks.

"Why would you feel left out? You still have powers, you're still a part of this family. There's no one excluding you i there?" Vanessa said.

"No, but I'm the only one who is 'an ally of the night' here." He said, raising his fingers in an air quote. "Shadow charmers don't exactly have a great past."

"Ah, I see. I'm chopped liver then to you?" Vanessa challenged.

"What? No!" Seth exclaimed.

"Well, blixes are considered an ally of the night, and we don't have the best past either Seth. Hell, I don't even have the most trustworthy past. Or did you forget?"

Seth was silent for a moment, considering her words. Vanessa waited patiently, crossing her arms over the back of the chair she was straddling. What she had said was true, Vanessa was an ally of the night with a bad past, Seth didn't understand on how he had forgotten! Suddenly he didn't feel as alone.

"I guess I did sort of forget." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, you seem pretty normal these days now that you aren't biting everyone and taking control of them."

Vanessa smirked, "And you seem pretty normal now that you aren't lurking around in the shadows as much."

Seth flushed, remembering how for some time he had been shade walking and scaring everyone at random times for fun, especially to Kendra. Finally, he had snuck up on her one too many times and his karma got him. She had spun around, frightened and punched him square in the nose out of reflex and it had broken. Luckily for him Bracken was around and he healed him, but Seth still remembered how Bracken had struggled to contain his laughter in.

"Listen Seth, yeah sure shadow charmers aren't usually good. But _you_ are, so don't worry about this anymore. People are going to be weary of your alliances but think of how your dark powers helped us in the long run." Vanessa said, standing. "You use your powers for good, as long as you do that, you don't need to worry about this whole 'dark vs. light' crap. Just worry about being Seth."

"Thanks Vanessa. " Seth said, feeling a little awkward. He wasn't used to Vanessa being sentimental, even at this low rate. Vanessa usually kept her feelings and emotions in check and rarely showed too much affection, he guessed that's why Mara and her had become good friends over the past year.

Vanessa nodded at him, before heading to the door. Before she could fully leave the room Seth called her back.

"Hey, Vanessa?" She turned towards him expectantly. "That applies to you too, you know."

Vanessa smiled at him, giving him a look of appreciation. "You know, I'm going to go into the woods and do some check up on a few of my babies. You want to come?" She asked, referring to some of the hybrid creatures of hers that resided in the woods.

"You bet! Seth exclaimed, excited. After that, the two were often found studying one of Vanessa's latest experiments. Seth was glad for the new friendship in Vanessa, he finally felt like he was back on the inside.

* * *

 **A/N: I warned you it was short, hopefully the next one will be longer! Sorry for any grammar mistakes and such, I only have on hand to type at the moment as the other one is swollen and I can't move my fingers, forgive me ahh**


	13. Learning From The Best

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've been really sick and have had a lot of surgeries one right after another so I haven't been up to writing! Hopefully I can get back in the swing of things now. Here's more of our fav brotp as a peace offering to not kill me for not updating in months! Enjoy!**

* * *

Warren leaned against the railing of the porch and sighed. His mind was reeling with the situation at hand, the situation being his love life. Ever since Zzyzx, Vanessa had been living back in her old room and was in the process of fixing all the bridges she burned when she betrayed them, and that included her relationship with Warren. Every time they tried to talk it always seemed to get heated when past mistakes come up.

Warren desperately wanted to forgive her but he felt like there was something holding him back. For one, Ruth still was a little icey towards Vanessa, and Warren always felt like Ruth was his own grandmother so he of course would want her approval of him and Vanessa dating. Of course, there was the issue if Vanessa actually did want to date him. Sure the altercation on the beach back before Zzyzx, Bracken had hinted not so subtly at Van having feelings for him...but how did that hold up now that the end of the world wasn't happening?

The other person he wasn't sure would be happy about the possibility of their relationship was his cousin, Kendra. He knew Kendra had been close to Vanessa before the betrayal. And he witnessed how the betrayal shook her trust and left her hurt. He recalled how she would spend hours sitting outside the quiet box in the dark, thinking about god knows what. He hadn't seen any signs of forgiveness from Kendra yet, but he hadn't seen signs of anger yet either. Kendra just seemed indifferent.

"Whatcha doooinnnn?" A voice called from behind him. He glanced back. Ah, speak, or think, of the devil, the devil shall appear. Kendra walked over and plopped down on the wicker love seat to the right of him.

"Just thinking, what are you dooooooinnnnn?" He said, mimicking her.

"Eating a fruit roll up." Kendra said holding up the sticky candy. "What are you thinking about?"

"My complicated love life."

"What's so complicated about it? You like Vanessa right?" She said, tearing the fruit roll up in half and throwing some in her mouth.

"I mean, yeah?"

"And she likes you, I know that, so what's so complicated?

"Well, there's the whole betrayal thing, you and your grandmother not quite liking her, an-"

"Hey! I like Vanessa fine! What makes you think I don't?" Kendra exclaimed in protest.

"Well, you guys just don't seem to talk or interact at all anymore."

Kendra sighed and sat up, "Warren, even if we aren't as close as we once were doesn't mean that we aren't working on it. You aren't the only one she has been having weekly arguments with."

"You know about those?"

"Yeah, we sit down every week when the house is empty and try and talk it out. It usually ends up with me yelling at her, but it's been getting better. And she's told me that you guys have been getting better too."

"Huh." Warren said. "So you think I should forgive her?"

"I'm not saying you have to right away but I think you will no matter what." Kendra got up and stood next to him, leaning on the railing. "What's really holding you back from it?

"I don't know," Warren said. "Everyone will think I'm crazy to take her back after everything she's done...especially your grandmother, she really doesn't like Vanessa now." Warren sighed looking up, wondering how he got to the point where only his little cousin will listen to him about his love life dilemma.

"Screw them." Kendra said. Warren looked back at her in surprise.

"What?"

"Screw them." She said again. "Listen Warren, if she makes you happy isn't that what matters? Yeah sure everyone is gonna have their opinion of your life, but in the end the only one that matters is your own. Besides, my grandma will get over it once she sees how happy you are."

"Okay, but she broke everyone's trust, and I know she has proven herself but am I wrong to have a little bit of doubt in her?" Warren said, still feeling unsure about the whole thing.

"No. She betrayed your trust, everyone's trust, that's gonna be a hard thing to get back. Look, you don't have to forgive her completely or anything. You don't even have to start anything serious, there's no wedding bells ringing yet." Kendra laughed. "So just...take it slow, try talking to her first, that usually is the normal thing to do."

"Yeah but, she's a blix and all that and-"

"Warr, you're talking to the girl who is now dating a unicorn. Not just any unicorn but the Fairy Prince, son of the Fairy Queen. The same Fairy Queen who is my boss or whatever in some way since I'm her handmaiden." Kendra said.

Warren smiled. "Yeah, you really hit the jackpot there didn't you? Dating a royal unicorn like you're in some Disney movie."

"Yeah, and you think my parents were happy go lucky about that? Hell no! But now, they treat him like their own. People will come around, and if they don't see that your happiness comes before their comfort in your dating life, screw them." Kendra nudged his shoulder with her own.

"Since when did you become such a wise young lady, huh?" Warren teased her. Kendra rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"I have a friend who taught me everything."

"Oh yeah? Who's this? Do I know him? Is he handsome? Does his name rhyme with Larren?" Warren said, faking confusion dramatically.

"No, his name is Tanu." Kendra deadpanned.

"Hey!" Warren exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her neck and messing her hair up in revenge. Kendra cried out in protest, squirming out of his grasp and smoothing her hair back down. She stuck out her tongue at him which of course he copied before they lapsed in a comfortable silence, watching the fairies flitter about the darkening yard.

"Thank you." Warren said after a minute or two. "You really are a smart girl, ya know?"

Kendra smiled at him, happy that he seemed to be in better spirits. "Oh, you're welcome. After everything you've done for me, the least I can do is help you pull your head out of your-"

"Kendra!"

"-and see the light." She finished, giggling as Warren shook his head at her.

"Maybe we've been hanging out too much, I'm rubbing off on you." He chuckled.

"Learning from the best, right?"

"That's right."

* * *

 **A/N: I know I've said I'm going to try and write less Kendra because I write a lot of her, but she is the really the only character that comes easily to me and she's my favorite. Also Warren and Bracken are my next easiest and my brotp and otp respectively with Kendra so that's why they are the ones I write the most. I'll try to include more characters but I can't force it so please don't hate me! Again, hopefully I'll have another, longer update soon!**


	14. Breakdown

**A/N: Not my best, I started it with a completely different plot in mind, found it was hard to write, wrote this instead. I hope it isn't too bad in terms of flowing together. And yes, this is more sad!Kendra, I would apologize but I can't stop the Kendra angst. Also, I've found mental conversations are hard to write.**

* * *

Once they started, Kendra couldn't stop them. It happened too often, the tears would well up even at the stupidest things and no matter how hard she tried to push them down, the would spill over. She hated how much of a crybaby she was. Seth used to call her that all the time and she always wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong but he was right.

Kendra was feeling perfectly fine that day, she was reading a book when one of the lines stood out to her.

" _If you don't take time to grieve properly, the memories will always be painful."_

Kendra had read that line over and over, the simple line stopping her breathing, ringing truth in her ears. She had never had the time to grieve any of the bad things that had happened to her through the last two years. From getting kidnapped, to Coulter dying, and even the battle of Zzyxx. There were a lot of things that required time to get over, but deep down, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, there was one memory, one person, who still haunted her mind day and night.

Gavin Rose. The name brought tears to her eyes, it had been so long since she allowed herself to think it. The memory of his evil smile, his faked stutter, his betrayal, his dragon form, the way his face had looked in the light of the burning knapsack, they were all painful. According to this stupid, stupid book, it was because she hadn't grieved over him.

She didn't want to grieve over him. To grieve would mean she was upset over him, and she didn't want to give his spirit the satisfaction. She should be angry, she should be bitter and filled with hatred for him, but she wasn't. She was sad, she was hurt, she was heartbroken.

Kendra tried to wipe at her tears, but more just kept coming. She paced the floor of her room, this was beyond frustrating. She was crying over a long dead demon prince that had betrayed her! That had trapped her cousin in a different dimension! That killed one of her friends! She wished she could just push his memory away and deal with it later but once you open this type of suppressed emotion there's no boxing it back in. She pressed her back against the wall and slid down it, curling her knees to her chest. Kendra sat there for a moment before giving in to the growing wave of sorrow and let it wash over her. Sobs, ripped through her and she threw her arms around her knees, placing her head on them.

Kendra felt like she could surely drown in her sorrow at this point. Memory after memory flashed through her mind, causing her breathing to quicken. How could this have happened? She had liked him, she had like the demon prince, she had like a dragon. Gavin had tricked her, he played with her heart and in the end left it shattered on the ground of Sidestep Clift. He never had cared about her, he was just using her. How could she have been so naive?

Kendra couldn't control her breathing at this point, she was practically gasping with every breath. How had she pushed this down for so long? The pain felt like it had happened only yesterday, not over a year ago. She tried to stifle the sobs by biting down on her shirt sleeve, but even then they echoed in her ears. Everything was too loud, everything was too painful. Kendra could practically hear Gavin's laugh, mocking her.

' _You're weak, Kendra. Look at how I have a hold on you, even from the grave, pathetic.'_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Kendra screamed through her teeth. Her hands, clamped over her ears, trying to block out the hateful words. His voice filled her ears, coming on suddenly and grew louder by the second. She was shaking like a leaf, terrified at how quickly everything had become too much.

' _Kendra, breathe'_

The words flowed into her mind with a pulse of comfort, warm and soothing. She could recognize that voice anywhere; Bracken. Of course. A few months into their official relationship, he had gifted her with his first horn, fashioned into a bracelet. She wore it almost always, trusting him not to pry unless he was invited or if he felt something was wrong.

' _That's right, it's me. Come on, calm down, love.'_

Kendra focused on her breathing, slowly bringing it down to normal, earning words of praise from Bracken. He was constantly sending her the equivalent of a tight hug in pulses through his horn, talking her down from the panic attack little by little. Finally, she was able to stop her sobbing and wipe off her tears. She clutched at the pearly bracelet around her wrist tightly, hoping he won't leave her mind now that she was calmer.

' _I'm not going anywhere, don't you worry.'_ Came his response to her trail of thought, she had forgotten that he probably could hear everything now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you worried." She whispered, she knew that she didn't need to speak out loud for him to hear her, but she liked the action of it. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that he was really here, and not worlds away.

' _Don't be sorry. I'll always be here for you, you know that.'_ His response came, travelling through her mind as if it was her own thought. Bracken's voice was smooth and comforting, god, she missed hearing that voice in person. She missed Bracken in general.

' _Soon, love. I promise. Even my own mother won't be able to keep me away from you for too long.'_ Kendra felt his guilt about not being there, she sensed that he blamed himself for her breakdown, convinced that he could have done more to help her if he had been there physically.

"Stop that. Me being weak isn't your fault." Kendra scolded.

' _You aren't weak.'_ He sent back strictly. ' _You are the farthest thing from weak. I hate that you think that about yourself. And by the way, who's prying now?'_

"You were looking through my emotions too! Don't put this all on me unicorn." Kendra said, trying to make sure he felt all the sassiness in the sentence as if he was hearing it in person. She purposefully ignored the other half of his sentence, she just didn't believe it was true.

' _You know, if you are going to try and change topics, don't think about why you want to change topics.'_ Bracken's voice rang out. Kendra groaned, of course he was reading everything in her mind, stupid unicorn boyfriend.

' _Hey! I can't help it if you're shouting you're thoughts at me. Also I resent that stupid unicorn boyfriend statement. I may be your boyfriend and I may be a unicorn but I am most certainly not stupid.'_ Kendra smiled at his words.

"Could've fooled me." She said, enjoying the playful teasing they had going on.

' _Rude!'_ Bracken's voice whined in her head. ' _Anyway, we were talking about you being mean to yourself, not you being mean to me.'_

"Bracken…"

' _No, I really don't appreciate hearing you talk about my girlfriend that way. I love her very much and she doesn't deserve you hateful words. So stop that, or next time I see you I will tickle the daylights out of you._ ' Kendra smiled at his words, sighing at his persistence on the subject.

"Tickling?! I'm shaking in my boots!" She decided to ignore the other words yet again, and this time Bracken let the subject drop.

' _You should be. I'm a prince and strike fear in a lot of people.'_ Kendra thought about two weeks ago when Bracken tackled Seth into a bush and ended up getting stuck. She made sure he saw the memory as well.

"Uh huh...you strike fear all right, your majesty." She teased, sensing his eye roll through his horn. Bracken had recently picked up the habit, probably from her.

' _Really? You had to go there?'_ He sent back, protesting when she replayed the image of him struggling to get out while Seth pushed him farther in.

Kendra sat there for a moment, relishing in the gentle hum of his mind aligned with hers.

"You left a few hours after that, and haven't been around since. I miss you." Kendra said, voice catching at the end.

' _I know, I miss you too. So much.'_ She could almost feel him taking hold of her hand as he said the words, but of course, he wasn't.

"Come back soon?" She asked.

' _How does tomorrow sound?'_ He said, a sly edge to his voice. Kendra brightened, realizing he was serious.

"That sounds perfect," Kendra said. And she meant it.

* * *

 **A/N: Anyone recognize that last line? ;)**


	15. First Date

**A/N: Second part to that last one shot! Also ties in a brackendra first date which had been requested a few times! Ahh I love these two, enjoy!**

* * *

Breathing in the cool fall air, Kendra smiled. Fall had always been her favorite season, her birthday fell in the season, she really enjoyed halloween, the leaves were beautiful, and fall had all the best tastes when it came to seasonal food.

But this wasn't the only reason she was smiling. After her somewhat embarrassing breakdown yesterday, Bracken had promised to come see her today. She tried to keep her expectations low in case he got called away on some fairy prince job, but deep down she couldn't help being overly excited. After all, she hadn't seen him in two weeks.

So, here she was, sitting on a bench of one of the gazebos at the pond. Grandpa had been a little more lenient towards her and Seth venturing out into the woods. The pond was allowed and so was Newel and Doren's home and tennis court. Other than that they would need adult supervision. Kendra usually stuck to the yard, barely ever venturing out to the pond unless she had a reason.

Which brings her back to why she was here, waiting. Bracken had said he would come in the morning, but never a specific time. Wanting to meet up with him and walk back to the house so they had a little time to themselves before her family swooped in, she came out here at 7:30. It was now 9 AM, according to her phone and Kendra was starting to worry.

Almost as if he knew she was worrying, Kendra saw the telltale flash of light at the shrine, indicating the Bracken had made his way to the portal. Smirking to herself, she walked over to the bushes and hid. Bracken knew she wanted to walk back and promised to wait at the pond for her if she wasn't there. Now that she knew he was coming and her worries were eased, she wanted to try and get the jump on him.

Silently watching as Bracken hopped into the boat the naiads had silently brought to him, she wondered if she would succeed this time. Usually Bracken could feel her presence but now, she removed the communicative bracelet he gave her and she had been working on keeping her aura down, so hopefully if she was quiet enough, she could finally get him.

Bracken had reached the dock now, thanking the naiads he stepped off the unmoving boat and walked over to the nearest gazebo, scanning the land for a sign of Kendra.

Silent as she could be, Kendra crept up behind an unaware Bracken who looked like he was concentrating hard, probably on reaching for her through her bracelet. Right when she got up to him she leaned in quickly by his ear.

"Boo _._ " She whispered. Bracken jumped in his seat, standing and turning to face her.

"Kendra! You scared me, how did you...wait, _why_ aren't you shining like a lighthouse?" Bracken exclaimed.

"Oh, it's nothing," Kendra said, playing nonchalant. "Just that I've been working on toning down my aura." She smiled.

"Well, it's working I didn't even notice you were here." He beamed at her. Then he walked out of the gazebo and around to where she was leaning against the outside wall. Kendra's heart skipped a beat, fully taking in the sight of Bracken up close now. His choppy silver hair accenting his eyes, his simple white button down, his lips...oh god, his _lips_.

She didn't have to wait long before those heavenly lips were on hers and her fingers were in his hair. Kendra was sure how long they stood there, lips on lips, but she didn't care. All she cared about was Bracken kissing her and her kissing Bracken.

Unfortunately they did break apart, both breathing a little heavier. Bracken smiled at her before leaning back down and capturing her lips once more quickly, before taking her hand and leading her towards the opening of the pond.

"As I understand it, we have never been on a true date." He started, earning a confused look from Kendra.

"Yes we have, the picnic in the yard, going through Patton's journals while sitting at the pond, the late night swim when everyone else was asleep was particularly enjoyable." She said, nudging his shoulder with hers at the end, eyebrows quirking up in a suggestive glance.

"Ah yes, the late night swim. Not one of our most classiest dates I would say."

"That's why it was my favorite. Listen, making out in the pool totally beats out any restaurant you could take me too."

"Let me rephrase my original statement. We never been on an official date, outside the preserve." He said, changing the subject with a smile.

"Now that is correct." Kendra allowed.

"So, I was thinking."

"A dangerous thing to do." She teased, Bracken shooting her a playful glare.

"I was _thinking_ , we should go somewhere." He finished.

"Oh, really? What do you have in mind then?"

"I'm not sure. Haven't gotten that far as I am not familiar with the activities suitable for a date in this area." Bracken admitted, earning a sly smile from Kendra.

"Well, lucky for you, I know just the place."

* * *

"Laser tag? What exactly am I about to be submitted to, Kendra?" Bracken said, strapping the vest on with a little help from Kendra.

"A fun little game where I am going to kick your sorry ass at." She bragged, knowing it will bring out the competitive side in Bracken.

"Oh, yeah? We'll see."

"Bracken you don't even know how to play yet."

"Then explain." He said, stepping into her personal space with an ever so cocky expression on his face.

"Well, we both get these guns, don't worry they aren't real, they shoot lasers. We are going to enter a dark maze at the same time and hide in different areas before the clock ends. You have thirty seconds to hide. Then the game starts. You can look for me or stay hidden, but when we find each other, we shoot. You want to aim for the vest, that's how you get points and how you stun your opponent, a.k.a., me." They shared a smile.

"And if I hit you, I win?" Bracken asked, already thinking the game was too easy.

"I have set it up so that we have to hit one another at least ten times before any victory can be claimed. The first nine times will stun you for fifteen seconds, in which you won't be able to shoot, so if you get hit...well, you better run." Kendra finished, eyes shining with mischief.

"Ah, or maybe you will be the one running." Bracken said.

"Oh, but unicorn...did I mention we are playing in the dark?" Kendra said, stepping away smirking.

' _Shit._ ' Bracken thought.

* * *

Bracken last saw Kendra when they entered the dark inflated maze, with her shooting a 'May the odds be ever in your favor!' over her shoulder.

Bracken snorted, thinking how this did have similarities to the book franchise she was referencing. But that didn't matter at the moment, now he was concerned because it had been two minutes since the clock timed out their hiding time and the game started and no sign of Kendra.

Of course, she had the ability to see in the dark on her side. He thought he could rely on her bright aura to lead him to her but then he remembered that, of course, she could repress it now.

He could create a ball of light but that would give him away too easily, so now, he slowly walked through the maze, feeling like one of those FBI agents of the show Kendra is obsessed with, with his laser gun at the ready and turning corners quickly ready to shoot.

He had to admit, the thrill was kind of fun, in fact it actually gave him-

"Ha! Got you pretty boy!" came a very familiar voice from behind him, too late he swung around only to notice his vest blinking. Swearing, he hid behind the wall nearest to him and waited for her to come around, except she didn't.

Once he was sure his laser gun was activated again, he peeked around the corner. Of course, his fairykind girlfriend was nowhere in sight. Sighing he started walking the way he suspected she ran, he wouldn't deny this was fun, but he was determined to get at least one shot in.

* * *

The score was 9 to 5, Kendra winning. Kendra smiled from her perfect hiding spot, watching as her beloved boyfriend, walked by her unaware.

Time to end this. She slid out from the wall and pointed her laser gun at him.

"Say bye bye, my sweet little prince." She said, before she fired last shot. Bracken immediately dramatically fell to his knees, crying in fake agony before falling over.

"I see the light! Oh, mother! I should have listened when you warned me about mischievous fairykind maidens! Tell my family that I….I…." And with that final performance Bracken slumped to the ground, unmoving, tongue hanging out.

"Ah ha! Victory is mine!" Kendra bragged. "I have defeated the fearsome fairy prince! At last! Satisfaction!" She teased, as Bracken leaned back up on his elbows.

"I don't know, you seemed to get satisfaction the night in the pool." He said, eyebrows raising.

She feigned outrage, "What would you mother say if she heard her pure, unicorn son talking in such a way! I think I've corrupted you." She said while helping him to his feet.

"Less you, more Warren and his inappropriate jokes." Bracken replied as they made their way out of the now lit up maze, pressing a kiss you her temple as the walked.

"Ain't that the truth." Kendra said.

* * *

After a quick ice cream stop, the two made their way back to Fablehaven. Walking up to the main house hand in hand, Kendra felt one hundred percent better than yesterday. She has one of the best days with her perfect dorky boyfriend, who revealed to her that he would be at Fablehaven for the next month, just to have fun.

"I had a great time today you know." She said. "Especially, when I kicked your butt at laser tag."

"I want a rematch, you know. We can bring everyone this time." Bracken retorted.

"Oh no, you don't want to do that. Vanessa at laser tag? _Lethal_." Kendra shook her head.

They went inside and talked to a few others that were still up for a couple hours before heading to bed, and as she settled into his arms in her bed that night, she felt safe and peaceful, more than she had in two weeks.


	16. Snow Wars

**A/N: Wow I'm back! I haven't been updating this one shot collection as much because I'm working on two multi chapter fics but don't worry this isn't dead! This one shot takes place a few months after the last! This is a (late) and on time birthday present for fairykam and lena-littletotheleft! Happy birthday you guys I hope you like this piece of pure fluff! Also shout out to the group chat for helping me come up with middle names! Enjoy!**

* * *

Bracken pulled his beanie over his ears more as he continued his walk to Fablehaven's main house. The first snow had fallen the previous night and now the preserve was coated in a thick layer of white. Nearing the edge of the yard, Bracken could hear the tell tale joyful shouts of people in the yard, presumably throwing snow at each other.

Bracken reached the yard and made his way to the porch, he was halfway there when something cold and wet hit his face.

'What the-!" He muttered, spinning around to look for the source of the flying snow. At first he couldn't see anyone, but a trail of foot prints lead to the shadow of a tree and Bracken smirked. Producing a ball of light, he threw it towards the tree, lighting the area up and revealing a certain shadow charmer.

"No fair!" Seth complained, making his way over.

"Oh, so you can use your powers and I can't?" Bracken mused, raising one eyebrow.

"Exactly."

"Hm." Bracken started making his way to the house again once Seth was caught up with him.

"Where are you going? Newel and Doren are supposed to be on their way, we can ambush them!" Seth said.

"Sorry Seth, I can't. Any other day I would, but today I have plans." Bracken apologized, heading up the porch steps and stomping the snow off his shoes. Seth gave a dramatic sigh and let himself fall into a pile of snow, the cold seemed to not bother him.

"Of course, ditching me for my sister, the tragedy of young love." Seth waved a gloved hand around before letting it flop into the snow like the rest of him.

"I'm sure you'll survive, see you later." Bracken chuckled, before heading inside. After removing his shoes, coat and gloves he made his way into the kitchen. Ruth was there, fussing over a recipe book with Tanu at the counter.

"Oh hey, look what the cat dragged in." Came a voice from the kitchen table. Warren sat there reading the newspaper. Bracken could see it was the comic section. "Come to visit me?"

"You know me too well." Bracken quipped, smiling at his friend. "Hey Tanu, Mrs. Sorenson." Tanu threw up a hand in greeting, not taking his eyes off the recipe book.

"Oh please, Bracken. I've told you a million times, call me Ruth. Mrs. Sorenson is from my teaching days." The old women said, coming over and giving him a hug. "What do they feed you at that realm of yours? You're like Warren, skinny as a string bean unless you have the equivalent of five meals a day! Sit, I'll make you something."

"It's okay, no need to stress over me." Bracken assured her, used to her grandmotherly fussing by now.

"Yeah, he wants to go see Kendra, Ruth. Let the man go." Warren said, clearly teasing Bracken.

"Oh, alright. But when you come back, you are sitting your royal butt down and eating a sandwhich, you hear me?" Ruth gave him a stern look that told him there would be no getting out of it.

"Yes, ma'am." Bracken bowed his head before making his getaway, heading up to Kendra's room. As he neared the door he heard piano playing softly along with a light voice singing along with it. He paused and listened for a moment, enjoying the music and Kendra's voice. He wished she sang more often, her voice was quite beautiful. Suddenly the song stopped.

"You know, I can feel you outside the door." Kendra called out. Smiling, Bracken pushed the door open, and leaned against the door frame. There she was, wreathed in her usual light sitting at the piano she had brought to her room when she moved from the attic.

"You caught me," Bracken said, raising his hands in surrender. "You're getting better at that aura sensing."

"Or, I'm just wearing your first horn." She replied, holding up her wrist where he could see his first horn fashioned into a silver bracelet.

"Oh, I see, my own horn ratted me out."

"Congratulations, you've played yourself." Kendra deadpanned, earning a short laugh from Bracken. He pushed off the doorframe and crossed over to her. She stood and hugged him when he came near, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. He returned the embrace before leaning down and capturing her lips with his. After a long moment, he pulled back slightly, foreheads still touching.

"Hello, love." He whispered, lips nearly brushing against hers as he spoke.

"Hi." Kendra replied before pulling him back down for another quick kiss. "I've missed you."

"I've only been gone for two days."

"I know, I still missed you." Kendra pulled back and went to her bed, laying down and patting the space beside her. "Come here and cuddle me."

"As you wish." He said, bowing deeply. He relished in the laugh he got in response to his shenanigans, feeling a warmth spread through him. Bracken laid down next to Kendra and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and entangling their legs.

"You're always so warm, is that a unicorn thing?" Kendra mumbled from his chest.

"No, it's more like a your grandmother runs this place like a sauna kind of thing." Bracken said, referring to Ruth's love for heat.

"You got a point there."

They lay there for an hour or so just enjoying each other's company. The conversation was light and easy as always, but not needed as they sometimes went long minutes without saying anything. Just holding onto each other, exchanging kisses and running their fingers through each others hair. In fact, they were enjoying one of these silent moments when Kendra's door opened and in walked Warren.

"Cuddle session! I want in!" He exclaimed, before jumping on the bed on the other side of Kendra, practically laying on top of her.

"Warren! You're crushing me!" Kendra half whined half laughed. Warren only snuggled in further.

"You hear something Bracken? I swear it sounded like a tiny little fairy was talking." Warren said.

"Yeah, I think you're laying on top of the tiny little fairy." Bracken laughed.

"Am I? Oh! Kendra, when did you get there?" Warren faked surprise as he rolled off Kendra, who was glaring at him.

"Mean."

"I object."

"What do you want you heathen?" Kendra groaned.

"Seth wants to have a snowball fight." Warren said.

"That's nice, tell him no." Kendra buried her head into Bracken's chest more.

"Oops." Warren whispered. Kendra's head snapped up and she rolled over, pinning Warren to the bed and holding a pillow threateningly.

"Warren Tyler Burgess, did you agree to it?" She said, using her best 'tough' voice.

"Yes, Kendra Elizabeth Lynne Sorenson. Yes I did." Warren smiled up at her, unbothered. For a moment, Bracken was sure Kendra was gonna start hitting him with the pillow but instead she just flopped down again.

"Why?" She whined.

"Oh lighten up, it won't be that bad." Warren said.

* * *

"I take it back, he is a monster." Warren groaned a half hour later, shaking snow out from his coat.

"I told you, Seth has been practicing snowball fights since he was two. He doesn't even call them snowball fights, he calls them snowball wars." Kendra said, peeking from around the tree to where she could see Seth where he was looking for them, his back turned. "Luckily, you have me on your side. You get Bracken, he is behind that bush. I'll take care of Seth."

"What are you gonna do?" Warren asked apprehensively.

"Lure Seth to the porch, under the lowest part of the roof in five minutes. Keep them away from it for now." Was the only answer he got before Kendra snuck away. Warren stooped and made an armful of snowballs, preparing himself for attack.

Sprinting out from the trees Warren flung three snowballs at Bracken, who was indeed behind the bush Kendra pointed out earlier. The fairy prince jumped and then recovered, giving chase. Seth joined them and Warren found himself needing to duck behind bushes and trees more often than not.

He kept them busy and away from the porch for sometime like Kendra asked, throwing snowball after snowball, always keeping a tree or bush between him and his attackers. After an amount of time he deemed long enough, he sprinted out of cover, chucked his last few snowballs and ran for the porch. Once there he stood on the steps, trying to dodge the endless stream of snowballs as the two boys grew closer.

"Ha! I think this counts as a win! Now we just need to find Kendra and we will be the victors!" Seth exclaimed, standing right before the porch. Warren saw Bracken looking up at something on the roof with an amused look on his face. "I think I saw her over by the-"

All of a sudden a large amount of snow came off the roof and fell on top of Seth, completely covering him. Bracken and Warren burst out laughing, Warren running off the porch to look up at the roof where he found Kendra sitting there, a large portion of the roof missing snow and her hands still glowing from recent magic use.

Seth popped out from under the blanket of snow. "No fair! You tricked me!"

"All's fair in snow and war, Seth." Kendra called as she climbed back down. Worried she might hurt herself, Warren grabbed her by the waist once she was in reach and gently set her down. "Thanks, Warr."

"You really shouldn't be climbing on the roof, you're gonna hurt yourself." Warren said.

"The snow would have broke my fall." She countered.

"Okay, now you just sound like me."

"Who wants brownies and hot chocolate?" Ruth's voice called out from the door. The group practically ran back inside, knowing that Tanu and Ruth's recipe for brownies was legendary and the warmth of hot cocoa sounded perfect.

They all settled down in the living room, cradling their mugs and enjoying the crackling fire. Warren noticed Seth pass out after finishing his hot cocoa, Bracken and Kendra not far behind him from their spot on the couch. Warren stood and gathered all the empty mugs and plates and brought them to the kitchen.

"They sleeping?" Tanu asked from his place at the table, reading the comics Warren had been reading earlier.

"Oh yeah, knocked right out." Warren said, stretching. "Read A14, that one got a good laugh from me." He said before heading back into the living room. He quickly snapped a picture of the peaceful scene before pulling blankets over the three sleeping forms. Smiling to himself, he sent the picture to the other adults of the house.

 _'Who knew it only took a snowball fight and some hot chocolate to put these kiddos to bed ;)'_ was the message. Warren's phone dinged and he let out a short laugh.

 _'One of those kiddos is older than you.'_ Vanessa had wrote back.

 _'Shh, children sleeping.'_

* * *

 **A/N: I know the ending sucks but! I see Bracken as always being considered one of the kids because while he is old in human standards, in unicorn years he is considered young so I bet he fits right in. Anyway, I don't know when my next one shot will be but I will be updating my Power Of The Mind fic soon if you wanna check that out! Until next time! Xoxo**


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